Seven Years
by Wallcrawler86
Summary: Someone is messing with time and trying to kill Sakura and Syaoran and steal the cards. But they embark on a journey through time to save not only the world, but time itself! UPDATED! S+S kawaii romance mild profanity and a little blood. Sequel in work!
1. The Beggining of the Journey of Time

Note: I don't own any CCS characters. CLAMP does.  
  
Seven Years  
  
A Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction By Wallcrawler86  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Sakura stared up into the face of the evil demon. The evil demon had taken form of a huge dragon, stomped it's foot, and let loose a mighty roar. It stared down at Sakura and squinted its eyes, almost paralyzing her with fear. The dragon lunged its head at her, but suddenly a shadowy black figure struck the dragon's head inches away. The dragon's head now lay on the floor. The figure stood there; surveying how much damage it had done to the demon. Sakura tried to make out the figure, but it was too faint and dark to be recognized. Suddenly, the dragon quickly rose to its feet and swiped at the dark figure, causing it to fall. The demon stared at Sakura, and screamed, "WAKE UP ALREADY, SAKURA!"  
  
1 "Huh?" Sakura opened her emerald colored eyes slowly to see a large yellow head staring in her face. "Ahhh!" Sakura screamed and jumped up, slamming her head into Kero's head.  
  
"Hey! Watch it Sakura! Ow! That hurts! You looked like you were having a nightmare!" Kero said.  
  
"Ugh…. I was. I dreamt I was fighting some sort of demon or dragon or something…" Sakura stated.  
  
"Interesting." Kero said. "Try to remember it. You never know. It might be a premonition or something."  
  
"I hope not!" Sakura replied. "That demon was scary! I never want to see something like him again!" "What did it look like?" "I couldn't really tell. It was very dark. I could see it's outline and it's eyes, but that was it. And it's eyes… they glowed an evil red… I felt scared just looking at them!" "Hmm… well, just keep it in mind. You never know when it might come in useful." "I will… say… what time is it?" Sakura grabbed her pink alarm clock off her dresser. "Hmm… 6:45. Well, I'd have to get up soon anyways. I might as well get ready for school." And Sakura went towards the shower.  
  
About 10 minutes later, Sakura was just putting on her socks when Touya walked in.  
  
"Whoa! The monster is up early. That's gotta be a sign of the apocalypse or something." Sakura stared at him angrily. "I'm not a monster! And I'm perfectly capable of waking up early!" She screamed. "…Whatever, squirt, breakfast is ready." "Fine, I'm coming" Touya closed the door and headed downstairs. Sakura finished lasing up her shoes and headed for the door. "Hey, Sakura! Don't forget to bring me some food from breakfast!" Kero screamed as Sakura closed the door.  
  
Sakura finished her breakfast quickly, saving a pancake for Kero, and headed for the door. She sat on the front step, put her backpack containing all of the Clow Cards next to her, and started to put on her roller blades when Yukito walked up to her.  
  
"Good morning, Sakura. Where's your brother?" Sakura picked up her head and noticed him standing there. She began to blush upon seeing his handsome face. "Umm… oh hi Yukito! I didn't see you there. Touya's in the kitchen finishing his breakfast." "Okay. I'll wait here for him." And he sat down next to Sakura, causing her to blush even harder. "So, do you have any plans for today?" He asked. "Yeah." She said, trying to keep her face to one side to conceal her red face. "After school today, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and I are going to the park today to have a picnic…. Oh my God!" "What's wrong Sakura?" "I just remembered, I told Syaoran and Tomoyo that I would meet them at the corner and walk to school with them today! I gotta go! See ya' Yukito!" "Alright, see ya later, Sakura!" He waved good-bye to her as she roller bladed to the corner, still looking at him sitting on her porch steps. She lost her balance when she forgot to turn around at the sidewalk at the corner, but before she could hit the ground, she was caught inches from the ground. She looked up to see who had caught her. It was Syaoran with Tomoyo standing next to him.  
  
"What's the matter, Sakura? Tomoyo asked. "Still thinking of Yukito?" Syaoran looked a bit angry. Sakura started to blush again. "No, I just… uhh… was thinking about what we'll do at the picnic today after school and kinda wasn't paying attention to where I was going." "Come on, you were thinking of Yukito, admit it!" "No really! I was thinking of our plans for after school!" Syaoran looked even madder. "Can we please just go already?!" "Um, sure. Let's go." And they set off for school together. What they didn't realize was that behind the bushes, someone was watching them…  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, what did you think? I have already chapters 1-19 written, and I will update at least one a day. This is my first attempt at a fan fiction, but I have received many compliments already. Please review. Arigotou! 


	2. The Tuxedo in the Park

1.1 Note: I don't own any CCS characters. CLAMP does.  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Chapter 2  
  
They arrived to school on time. They went straight to their lockers to grab their books for class. When Sakura closed her locker, she was greeted by a blinking red light in her face. It was Tomoyo with a camcorder in her hands, as usual. "I can't wait until this afternoon!" Tomoyo stated. "I'm gonna get some great footage of you during the picnic!" Sakura sighed. "Don't you ever give that camcorder a break? Wasn't it yesterday that you took an hour of footage of me using my magic?" "Nope! I never want to miss a moment! What if I didn't have this with me and I missed some ultra kawaii moment? Or if you get in some action filled battle? I'd never forgive myself if I couldn't tape it!" She said as she followed Sakura around to class, still video taping her. Sakura sighed and a large sweat drop rolled down her head. "Well, if you must…"  
  
The day went pretty normal until math class. Sakura kept trying to pay attention to the teachers lecture on the Pythagorean theorem, but she couldn't forget about her dream. She kept trying to figure out what it meant and who that strange shadowy figure was that saved her. She felt a tap on her right shoulder and turned around to find herself starring into Syaoran's light brown eyes. "You looked worried Sakura. Is something the matter?" "Well, it's just that last night… I had this dream." "A strange dream? Could it be some kind of premonition or prediction or something?" "That's what Kero said but—" She saw that Syaoran wasn't paying attention to her. Instead, he was looking at something behind her. "Syaoran, what are you looking—" Sakura turned around to see her math teacher standing right over them. A large sweat drop rolled down both of their heads. "Well, is my lecture interrupting your conversation Miss Kinomoto, Mr. Li?" Her math teacher asked. "Umm sorry…" Sakura said. "It won't happen again." "I should hope not." Her teacher replied. "Now everyone, will if you would please turn to page 316 in your textbook…" Syaoran whispered to Sakura, "We can talk about it after school on our way to the park." "Agreed."  
  
The rest of the day went by as normally as possible. Sakura met up with Syaoran and Tomoyo by the statue of the school founder at the front of the school. Syaoran said, "Alright, we're all here. Let's go. On the way, you can tell us about that dream you had last night." Tomoyo asked puzzlingly, "Dream? What dream?" "Last night, I had some strange dream. I dreamt I was standing in front of some sort of demon…" "A demon?" Syaoran asked. "Well, it was a demon, monster, or something like that. Whatever it was, it changed into a dragon." Sakura said as they walked under the entrance to the park. "What did it look like, Sakura?" Syaoran wondered. "I couldn't tell. It was dark. I could see its outline, and these bright red evil eyes starring at me. It was so scary! I was paralyzed with fear!" "What happened then?" Tomoyo asked. "It lunged at me. I thought I was a goner. Then a shadowy figure jumped up and slammed the beast in the head. But in a few seconds, the dragon got up and slashed the figure with its claws." "Yeah, then what?" Syaoran asked. "That's when Kero woke me up." "I wonder what it means…" Syaoran thought out loud. "I'm not sure either. Kero just told me to remember it." They walked over to the lake in the center of the park and set up the picnic blanket. But no sooner than they sat down, did a strange man walk out of the woods. He was a slender man, with black short hair and dark eyes. He was dressed in a neatly pressed black tuxedo. He walked over to a near by tree, and hid behind it listened to their conversation. "…So Sakura, did you transform any of the Clow Cards in Sakura Cards yet?" Tomoyo asked. "No, not yet… remember, the Final Judgment with Yue was just five days ago." There hasn't been a reason for me to use the Clow Cards, little alone transform them."  
  
This, the mysterious man heard and gave an evil grin. He walked out from behind the tree and walked over to their picnic. Syaoran spotted him and asked, "Uh, can we help you?" The man pointed at Sakura and asked, "You are Sakura Kinomoto, are you not?" "Yes I am. How may I help you?" "The Clow Cards. Hand them over to me. Now."  
  
2 To be continued…  
  
So, what did you think? A mysterious man asking for the Clow Cards… what's gonna happen to them? Please review. Arigotou! 


	3. The Battle with the Wolf

1.1 Note: I don't own any CCS characters. CLAMP does.  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Chapter 3  
  
"Wh-wh-what did you say?!" Sakura stuttered. "You heard me. Give me the Clow Cards. Do it nicely, and maybe I won't hurt you and your friends here." "No way! I won't let you take them!" Sakura screamed. "And I'm not going to let you hurt Sakura! Who the hell are you anyway?" Li said, drawing his sword and pointing it at him. "My name isn't important. So, you are going to try and protect your girlfriend, are you now? That's very noble. Not to mention very stupid. Get out of here before I kill you." Syaoran and Sakura blushed upon hearing "girlfriend," but quickly regained focus and they both simultaneously screamed, "GO TO HELL!" "Fine if that's how you're going to be about it, then you leave me no choice!" The stranger crossed his arms over his chest like an X and screamed, "SABER WOLF!"  
  
The three of them looked on in horror as this strange man went under a horrifying transformation. First, his pupils in his eyes slowly vanished, leaving them a completely white. The hair on his head turned from black to gray, and was furiously spreading over his body. His hands shortened and became paws. His mouth and nose jutted forward and turned black. His clothes tore off. Before they knew what was going on, a giant wolf was standing before of them.  
  
"Tomoyo! Get out of here! Fast!" Sakura yelled to a stubborn Tomoyo who replied, "No way! I'm getting this on film!" "Dammit, Tomoyo! We don't have time for this! Get out of here before you get hurt!" Sakura said furiously. "I already told you, I'm not gonna miss this! Not for anything!" "Fine then, if you're not gonna leave, at least find a safe place to sit and tape!" "Alright, alright." Tomoyo replied as she ran over to and started to climb a tree. "Now me and Syaoran can deal with you!" The wolf just growled at them, and crouched down, ready to pounce. And the wolf said in his new deeper voice, "I will get those Cards anyway I can. There is no way a couple of brats like you can beat me. Last chance. Give up now, or die." "Never!" They screamed at the same time! "Fine. Then enjoy your last living moments." He said as he jumped through the air towards Syaoran.  
  
Syaoran quickly took the charm already in his hand that he took out when he noticed him changing into this new form, and threw it in the air and put his sword against it. "LIGHTNING!" A bolt of electricity surged through the air, striking the wolf and sending him skidding across the ground. The wolf took a few second to recover and laughed. "Ha ha ha! So you know some magic tricks? Well, that should make this a little more interesting! But you're still no match for me!" "We'll see about that!" Syaoran gloated. The wolf prepared to jump again, this time at Sakura. "Maybe I'll take you down first, and save that brat for later!" Sakura grabbed a card from her pocket and threw it in the air and summoned the staff. "Jump Card!" A pair of wings appeared on her school shoes in a blinding flash and Sakura nimbly jumped out of the way, high into the air. She grabbed another card from her pocket and threw it over her head. "What?! How did she do that?!" "The Clow Cards you idiot!" Syaoran screamed. "You mean you were after them and you didn't even know what they could do?" "Impudent brat! I—" "Fire Card!" The wolf looked up to see the fire spirit barreling towards him. The spirit rammed the wolf, knocking him down, and setting his fur on fire. The wolf started to jump around furiously trying to put out the flames on his back. "Syaoran! Now's your chance!" Sakura said as the Jump Card slowly lowered her to the ground. "Right! I got him!" Syaoran jumped in the air and slashed the wolf in the back as the wolf was distracted by the inferno on his back. The wolf let out a blood-curdling yelp of pain and collapsed on the ground. Sakura ran over to the wolf and Tomoyo climbed down the tree, camcorder still taping, as Syaoran grabbed the wolf's head and asked, "Who are you really? And what do you want with the Clow Cards?"  
  
The wolf was still breathing, but barely. Blood was running down his back. "I… I don't know who I am… I was created… for the sole purpose of getting those Cards…" "Created?" Sakura asked puzzled. "Yes… my master… he ordered me to get those cards… he never told me why… he just told me I had to." "Who is your master? I demand to know!" Syaoran asked with fury in his voice. "…" There was no reply. "…He's dead." Syaoran said with anger still in his tone. "Dammit! We need to know what the hell is going on!" A gust of wind blew by, and the wolf's body disappeared in thousands of little particles, like the wind blowing sand on the beach. "…Ummm… I'm lost. Can someone please explain to me what just happened?" Tomoyo asked with her video recorder still recording what was going on. "Basically, he said someone created him to come here and steal the Clow Cards from me." Sakura replied. "Created him? That's horrible! What did he want with the Clow Cards?" "He didn't want them." Syaoran stated. "Huh? What do you mean? Sakura just said he did." "He didn't want them. His master did. Someone out there wants those cards badly. And I have a feeling he is going to try again." "Hoe…… This sounds real bad." Sakura sighed. "I really don't want to fight any more wolves." "I don't think you have to worry about more wolves." "Really! Yay! Alright!" "…Now that he's seen how capable we are, whoever sent him is most likely going to send someone even tougher to try and steal them from us." Sakura's eyes shrunk and a sweat drop rolled down the back of her head. "Did… did you say even tougher? Hoe… this isn't going to be good. Well, there is nothing we can do now. Let's just go home and stay in constant contact in case something else happens, okay?" Everyone agreed. "That's a good idea. Besides, I've have GOT to make you the most kawaii outfit for your next battle!" Tomoyo remarked. A large sweat drop rolled down her head again. "Sigh… Tomoyo… you'll never change…"  
  
1.3.1 To be continued…  
  
So, what did you think? Exciting enough? It's been such a long time since I've written this chapter. I've noticed how much my style has changed. There is a lot more action and romance coming. This isn't even close to a quarter of how long my story will be! Please review! Arigotou! 


	4. The Stranger in the Study

1.1 I'd like to thank the first reviewer of my story, Sakura Lover. I'm really glad you like it. Don't worry, I'll update often! The more reviews I get, the more I'll update, so if you want more, review and you'll get more!  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Chapter 4  
  
"What?! A giant wolf attacked you?!" Kero questioned rather loudly. "SHHHH! Not so loud!" Touya opened the door and asked "Who are you talking to in here?" Sakura hid Kero behind her back. "Umm… no one! I was just… uhh… practicing some lines for our new school play!" "You're still practicing for that? You told me the exact same thing a month ago when I asked who you were talking to in here." "Ummm… well, this is the same play… it's uhh… really long and… uhh… very complicated so we still haven't finished it…" "…Whatever. Just keep it down. Me and Yukito are trying to study for a big test before we go to the park. So just can it in here, monster." "I am NOT a monster!" Sakura pulled Kero out from behind her back. "What have I told you about talking so loud?!" "Sorry, sorry, just don't squeeze so hard if you're going to try and hide me. Now let's just try and finish what we were talking about. Now how did a wolf attack you guys in the park, in the day, when wolves only come out at night and don't live around here, little alone in the park?" "Well, it wasn't really a wolf." "Huh?" "It was actually some sort of magical person. He walked up to us and demanded we give him the Clow Cards." "What did you do?" "We told him to go to hell." "Ooh… I bet he didn't take that very well." "He didn't. That's when he transformed into the wolf and attacked us. I used the Jump Card to avoid him, the Fire Card to keep him busy, and that let Syaoran get in the final blow." "Aww… did you have to let HIM get the finishing blow?" Sakura could see Kero was insulting Syaoran again and hit him on the head. "OW! Aw come on, I didn't mean anything by it… I just meant that well, you ARE the new master of the Clow Cards, and he isn't." "Kero, you know well enough I wouldn't have gotten this far without his help." "Yeah, whatever. So, what did you learn from this guy who tried to take your Cards?" "Syaoran sorta interrogated him. He told us that someone created him for the sole reason of stealing my cards." "Well, who did create him and what does he want with the cards?" "We couldn't find out. He died before he could answer." "Darn…" "Well, there's nothing we can do right now. Might as well worry about it later. Dinner is ready. I'll save you a pudding." Kero's eyes lit up. "P-p-p- pudding?! YAY! Yahoo! Hurry back, Sakura!" "I will."  
  
She ate her dinner slowly, thinking about what had happened at the picnic. Her father, Fujitaka, asked curiously, "Is something wrong Sakura? You look like you have something on your mind. Is something the matter?" Sakura looked at him and said, "No, nothing really. I'm just sorta thinking about a lot of stuff." Touya interrupted with, "You better not be thinking about that Syaoran kid." Sakura glared at him furiously and stomped on his foot from under the table. "I was not!" "Ow… yeah, just be sure to keep it that way. I don't like that kid. Stay away from him." "Now, Touya, it's not up to you to decide who Sakura can have as friends." Fujitaka said to Touya. "…Whatever, but I still don't trust him." Sakura got up from the table and headed for the sink. She hid a pudding from the counter under her shirt for Kero. She headed for the stairs when she heard Touya whisper, "…Monster." She glared at him angrily for a second and then headed up for her room.  
  
"C'mon, c'mon, where's the pudding?" was the first thing she heard when she entered her room. "Sigh, it's right here, Kero, calm down." She pulled the pudding out from under her shirt and handed it to him. "Alright, pudding! I love pudding!" Kero's face turned red as he tore off the top and dived head first into the pudding. "Sigh… Kero, are you supposed to be a guardian beast or a small yellow pig with wings?" Sakura sarcastically remarked. "Well, see you in the morning." Sakura changed into her PJs and slid into bed. "Alwite, Sakuwa. Gooth nife." Kero said with a mouth full of pudding.  
  
Sakura couldn't stop crying. She wasn't sure why. Her eyes were sore from crying, her sides ached, she choked on her tears, but she still couldn't stop. She didn't care. She thought to herself, "Why am I crying? Where am I? And why can't I stop crying?" She looked to her right and saw what appeared to be the remains of some sort of beast it was too dark to tell. She was kneeling over something unrecognizable. It was too dark to tell. She leaned in closer to see what it was. It was—BOOM!  
  
Sakura sat up in her bed. That rocking and shaking… was it just part of the nightmare? BOOM! No, it happened again. Sakura got out of bed and slipped on her bunny slippers and grabbed her Clow Cards. She sneaked over to Kero's bedroom, rather a room built for him in Sakura's dresser, and pulled out the door. Kero was still asleep, mumbling something about sweets. She decided not to wake him. She snuck down the hallway, outside Fujitaka's room and Touya's room. She peered through their keyholes. They were both still asleep. BOOM! There it was again. It felt like it was coming from downstairs. Sakura walked down to the kitchen, and tried to turn on some lights, but the power appeared to be out. Instead, she opened a drawer, and took out a flashlight. Sakura gulped. "I really hope it isn't a ghost. Please don't let it be a ghost!" Sakura turned on the flashlight and walked into the hallway. The light of the flashlight left shadows of all the objects in the hall on the wall. Not exactly helping Sakura feel any less scared. BOOM! There it was again. She knew where it was coming from. It was coming from her Dad's study in the basement. She walked over to the stairs leading to the study, with her teeth chattering. "Please, oh please, don't let it be a ghost!" Sakura turned off her flashlight, so not to alert whatever it was to her presence. She saw some dark figure move around and say, "Dammit! Where the hell is it?" Sakura sighed, half of relief, half with fear. "Well, at least I know it's not a ghost, but who is sneaking around down there?" Sakura whispered. She decided to try and get a better look. She climbed down two steps, when she lost her balance and fell down the stairs.  
  
"Who's there!" A voice screamed from inside the study! Sakura looked up to find the shelves of books fallen over. Their falling over is most likely what was causing those shakes throughout the house. Sakura reached for her flashlight, realizing her cover was blown anyways, and pointed in the direction the voice came in. There, she saw a man, very similar looking to the man she fought in the park. He was a little taller, and had dark brown hair, but otherwise looked exactly like his predecessor. "Hello, Sakura. I believe you and your little friends were the ones who killed my brother." "Your… your brother?" "Yes, you met him before. He tried to steal the Clow Cards from you, but he underestimated your power and was killed. I will not make the same mistake as him. I was looking for the Clow Book down here, but since you're here, you might as well tell me where they are. If you don't I'll kill you slowly and painfully to avenge my brother. Give them up, and maybe I'll only torture you but let you live."  
  
1.3.1 To be Continued…  
  
So, what'd you think? The brother of the man from the park… what does it all mean? And I wouldn't feel too safe if I were Sakura… Please Review! Arigotou! 


	5. The Battle in the Basement

1.1 I have another chapter right here. Last time, Sakura fell down the stairs in the middle of the night to find herself in the presence of another stranger in a tuxedo. And he isn't very happy…  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Chapter 5  
  
"NEVER!" She yelled. "What?" "You heard me! I'll never give you the Clow Cards. I don't know what you want with them, but I know it can't be good! I'd sooner die than let you take them!" Sakura stood up and raised her right hand to summon the staff and shakily held the flashlight, still pointing at the villain. "So, you say you'd rather be dead than give them to me? Ha ha! What a coincidence!" He gave an evil grin to Sakura that sent a shiver down her spine. "That's the idea!" He raised his hands and books flew into the air and hovered for a few seconds. "Have at you, Sakura!"  
  
Sakura thought to herself, "I take back what I said about I'm glad it isn't a ghost. This guy is worse!" Just then, the mysterious foe lowered his arms and the books hovering around him flew towards Sakura. Sakura grabbed a Clow Card and threw it in the air. "WINDY CARD!" The Windy spirit flew out of the card and caught all of the books in mid-air. The Windy card threw the books right back at the villain and one book, an encyclopedia, hit him right in the lower jar. "Heh heh… just as I thought. If you could defeat my brother, something that simple should have been easy for you to counter- attack. But how about if give even less reaction time?" He reached into his suit and pulled out some short daggers. He tossed one up in the air and quickly grabbed it and tossed it at Sakura's head. Sakura screamed in terror and dodged to her left. But it was too close. The dagger sliced her right side of her face, causing blood to run down the side of her face. She closed her eyes a writhed in pain. "Ahh! My face…. Ow… it hurts so much…" A tear rolled down her face. Not satisfied with the damage done, he hurled the second dagger at Sakura. "SHIELD!" A protective barrier surrounded her, stopping the dagger inches from the dead center of her face. Sakura took a deep breath, and rubbed the cut on her face. The dagger-wielding villain snickered. "Very impressive Sakura! But how about this!" The strange man reached to the ground and picked up an entire bookshelf. He gave an evil glare to Sakura. "Well, it's been fun, but it's time to end this!" He chucked the entire shelf at her. Sakura saw the shelf flying at her. Life seemed to slow down. She knew she'd be killed instantly if it crushed her. Time seemed to slow down. She could hear her heart beat. Suddenly, she knew what to do. "POWER!" A burst of energy surged throughout her body. As the shelves still full of books headed towards her, she reached her hands out. With the extra power, she easily grabbed the shelves, and held it right out in front of her. "Wh-wh-wh-what?! How can she do that? We thought the Clow Cards only granted magical power!" Sakura stared at the face of the assailant, (Which was about all she could see, as the only light source was the flashlight which was now pointing at his face while sitting on a nearby desk.) Sakura charged forward and smashed into the villain with the shelves, crushing him against a wall. "Ugh… how… how did you become so powerful?" Sakura grabbed him by the collar of his tuxedo and pulled his face closer. "Alright, I want answers. Who are you, and what do you want with me and my friends." The assailant was so close he could even see the small blood dripping down her face. "I will… tell you… nothing… My brother… was weak and foolish… I won't be so ignorant… You will PAY for this!" The mystery man dropped his head back, and his body began to disintegrate like his brother's did. Sakura rubbed her forehead. "So… tired… used… too much energy…" And Sakura sat down and fell asleep right there.  
  
1.3.1 To be continued…  
  
Oh my… Sakura has passed out in the basement with her face covered in blood… this isn't going to end well… but don't worry, she won't die, but who knows what may happen… Please review! Arigotou! 


	6. The Aftermath of the Battle

1.1 Last time, Sakura fought a tough battle in her father's study against another man in a black tuxedo. Sakura eventually overcame and crushed her foe, (literally) but not without a steep price. She had a knife cut the side of her face, spilling blood. Then she passed out from using too much energy, so she lies unconscious and bloodied in her study…  
  
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1.3 Chapter 6  
  
"SAKURA! SAKURA WAKE UP! SAKURA! PLEASE! PLEASE BE OKAY!" "What happened to her?!" "I have no idea!" "Is she breathing?" "Yeah… thank God."  
  
"Uhh… what… what happened?" Sakura opened her eyes to see her father and her brother starring down at her. She was still in the study. "That's what we'd like to know, squirt." Touya said. "Yes, I'd also like to know how you ended up in my study, with the shelves knocked over, with your face covered in blood." "Bl-blood?" Sakura felt her face, the blood was still there from last night when the villain threw the knife at her. "It's… it's nothing." Touya looked furious. "NOTHING?! Do you know how scared I was to try and wake you up like I do every morning, not find you there, look to see blood on the steps of the study, see the shelves knocked over, and my own sister sitting there with her face covered in blood?! I thought someone had murdered you! Look at this!" He wiped his hand on her face and showed his hand covered in blood. "…You were that worried about me?" "OF COURSE I WAS WORRIED! Yes, you're still a monster, but I don't wanna ever wake up to find my baby sister dead in our own home!" "…Thank you Touya…" Her father added in. "C'mon, Sakura, we gotta get you to a hospital." "NO! No, you don't need to. It's just a small cut. I remember what happened now. Last night, I heard some crashing down here. I walked downstairs to see what happened. I saw that some shelves had fallen. I don't know how. I turned around, and another shelf fell. It landed close to me and cut my face. Nothing severe. It just has been like this for a while. So that's why my face has a lot of blood. A bandage, a shower, and I'll be fine and ready for school." Her father thought for a second. "Well, alright. If you think you're okay after a shower. You can go." "Thanks dad!" She got up and kissed him on the cheek and ran for the shower.  
  
Sakura looked in the mirror. She saw the deep cut. It was a lot worse than she thought. The right side of her face was covered in dry blood, as was the top of her pink angel pajamas. She looked pale. It wasn't life threatening, but who knows if it would heal right. She had no time to worry though, she was already later than usual for school.  
  
"You didn't really believe that story, did you dad?" "What do you mean, Touya?" Touya sighed. "Isn't it obvious she's hiding something from us? I mean, for one, let's say it really was a falling shelf of books that cut her face. It would be pretty hard for it to scratch her that deep, and besides, if it had cut her, it should have cut her vertically or diagonally, not horizontal like it did. And the cut was too perfect and straight. If it was really something falling on her, it would be a lot rougher, and most likely be even more cuts and bruises around it." Fujitaka scratched his head. "Now that you mention it, that is kinda weird. But why would she have a reason to hide anything from us?" "I don't know. But I intend to find out." "Well then, I hope you don't mind cleaning this room up, too." He held up a bucket and mop. Touya looked at him and asked confusedly, "What?" "Well, you do have the day off, don't you? So if you're going to look for anything down here, you might as well clean up. I'd help, but I have that big presentation today. And I don't think Sakura is in the condition to help. So here you go!" He handed the cleaning stuff to Touya who side as he looked down and a sweat drop rolled down his head. "Sigh… what a day. I wake up to find my sister missing, the study wrecked, blood on the stairs, finally find my sister covered in blood, she's hiding some secret from me, and now I need to clean it all up… She really is a little monster."  
  
Sakura was just putting on her hat and shoes when Kero slid out of the drawer. "YAWN… good morning Sak—" Kero saw the huge bandage on her face and some dried blood still on her face. "HOLY COW! What happened Sakura?! What happened to your face?!" "Ummm… I was hoping you wouldn't notice… I didn't want to get you involved…" "How could I miss it? Your face is still somewhat red from blood! And what don't you want to get me involved with?" "…Remember how I told you about the guy who tried to steal the Cards from me at the picnic?" "How could I forget?" "Well," Sakura said, starting to tremble, "his brother was in the study last night." "WHAT?!" "Yeah, he thought maybe we kept the Clow Book down there. I tried to get a good look at him, but I fell down the stairs." "Uh-oh. But skip to the part about how he did THAT to you." Kero said pointing to the bandage. "Well, he threw some knives at me. The first one I tried to dodge, but he was too fast. He just missed the dead center of my face, but as you can see, I didn't completely dodge it." "Aww man… this is serious." "Yeah, the Shield card protected me from the other knife, which would've killed me since his aim was dead on. He then tried to throw an entire shelf at me. But with the Power card, I grabbed it and rammed him into the wall." "Quick thinking." Sakura looked at the clock. "Oh my God! I'm gonna be late! See ya, Kero!" And with that, Sakura ran out the door, slipped on her roller blades and was skating for school.  
  
Sakura was speeding so fast to make sure she wasn't late, she took the last turn to the school too fast and crashed into someone. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry! I'm sorr—" She looked up to see Syaoran getting up off the ground and Tomoyo next to him. Sakura started to blush. "It's all right Sak—" He noticed the bandage on her face and the dried blood. "Sakura! What… what happened to your face?" "Yeah!" Tomoyo chimed in. "Why do you need that bandage?" Sakura lifted up the bandage to show them the cut. They gasped. "OH MY GOD! That… that's a deep cut!" Syaoran stated. "I know… I don't know what hurts more, the cut, or everyone's reaction to it." Sakura frowned and started to cry. Syaoran couldn't stand to see her crying like that. Even Tomoyo wasn't going to tape it. "Sakura! Calm down! It's alright!" He wrapped his arm around her and looked at her hair, since she was starring at the ground. Sakura looked up, and their faces were just centimeters away. Syaoran's face turned bright red and quickly turned away. "What I umm… I mean… uhh…" Tomoyo picked up her camcorder. "Oh! That's so kawaii! I gotta get you blushing on video!" Syaoran turned towards Tomoyo. "I'M NOT BLUSHING! PUT THAT CAMERA DOWN!" His face was turning even brighter. "Oh, I think you ARE!" "C'mon! Put it away!" Sakura watched them and started to laugh. Syaoran turned towards her. "What's so funny?" "You! Thank you! I was feeling really depressed, with almost being killed this morning, but now—" "ALMOST MURDERED?" Syaoran and Tomoyo said together. "It's a long story but…" And she told the whole story to them.  
  
A vein popped up on Syaoran's forehead. Syaoran thought to himself, "THOSE BASTARDS! First, they try to kill us! Then, they try to kill her alone at night?! And they dared to damage her beautiful face?! …….Did I just think that?! Did I just say she had a beautiful face?" He began to blush again. "No… I… I… I probably just…" "Syaoran? Are you okay? Your face is turning red!" Sakura suddenly asked. "Ummm…" He looked at her face, turned away and blushed. "No, no, I'm fine. I was just thinking about what you said. Wait! Look at the time! We're late! See you later Sakura! I'll meet you at the statue at the front of the school after school!" Tomoyo answered, "Yipes! I better go too! I'll meet you at the statue too! See ya'!" Sakura looked at them running off. She knew she was in for a long day. And she was right. Kids stared at her face all day. But the thought of seeing Syaoran kept her going and she just ignored the staring and the name calling from the bullies.  
  
Meanwhile, back at Sakura's house… more specifically, in the study…  
  
"Groan…" Touya was straining himself, picking up the last shelf over by the wall. "Man… what could have knocked these things over?! Huh?" He noticed something gleaming on the ground and picked it up. "Oh my…" Touya ran upstairs, the object still in his hands, and picked up the phone. "Hello? Dad, It's Touya. We've got a problem… with Sakura."  
  
1.3.1 To be continued…  
  
!!! What did Touya find?! I never knew Touya could care so much. Who knows, what is going to happen to Sakura? Well, I know, but I'm not gonna spoil it! Please review! Arigotou! 


	7. The Scar

1.1 Last time, Sakura was woken from her unconscious state by her brother Touya and her father Fujitaka. They wanted to know how she got in the basement covered in blood. She said a shelf fell on her when she heard a noise. Her father believed her and excused her to school, but Touya wasn't so easily convinced, and his suspicions were later proven true when he found something in the study…  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Chapter 7  
  
Sakura heard the last bell of the day ring, and she gathered her books and ran out to the statue of the school founder in the front of the school. She saw her friends were already there. "Hey! Syaoran! Tomoyo! I'm here!" Syaoran saw her face and was still a little angry, thinking of what those mysterious men did to her face, but seeing her cheered him up a little bit. "Hey there Sakura! We need to talk." "About what?" "About what we are going to do next about these guys who keep trying to steal the Cards." Sakura sighed. "Well, what can we do? We don't know where they're coming from, what they want the cards for, or anything." "Well, we can't just sit around and wait for them to send someone strong enough to finally get the cards, can we?" Sakura thought for a second. "I know we shouldn't, but we don't have a single clue to go on! Where would we start?" Tomoyo finally spoke up. "Why don't you too check the park? It's where you saw the first—" Suddenly a voice interrupted Tomoyo. "The only place you're going to be checking in to is into the hospital, Sakura."  
  
"Huh?" The three of them looked around. Standing behind them was Touya. Sakura jumped up and her heart was racing. Had he heard her talking about the cards? She should have known better than to talk about the cards in the open. "AHH! How long have you been listening in?" "Since Tomoyo said you should check the park for something. I don't care what you saw or lost in the park, you're going straight to the hospital!" They looked shocked. Sakura gulped and finally asked, "What… what are you talking about? I told you, it's nothing! A shelf just cut the side of my face! I'm fine, see?" "Yeah? Then how do you explain THIS?!" Touya pulled out the object he found in the study from his pocket. Sakura's heart pounded. "AHH! Wh-wh-where did you find that?!" Sakura covered her mouth with her hands and her face turned red.  
  
In his hands, Touya held a blood-covered knife. "If a shelf really fell on you, why did I find this under one of the shelves? Care to explain what really happened last night?" Syaoran and Tomoyo gasped and were completely speechless. But what could they say? But Sakura stood there stunned for a few seconds. Not only was she shocked that he had found the knife and suspected she was lying, but one thing bothered her even more. Embedded on the handle of the knife was a golden dragon. But the eyes of the dragon… were the same red, evil eyes of the dragon she saw in her dreams. She was paralyzed with fear. What did it mean?  
  
"SAKURA!" Touya screamed at her. "WHAT REALLY HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!" He grew impatient. "I…. I…." Sakura looked up and Touya could see her eyes starting to water. Suddenly she burst out in tears and covered her face with her hands. Touya looked sorry for yelling. "Sakura… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. But I need to know what happened! For all we know, this thing could be covered in a deadly poison! Look, if you don't wanna tell me now, let's just go to the hospital, and you can tell me later. Dad's already waiting for you there." Sakura wiped her eyes. "Alright…" She said with her face still red and water in her eyes. "I'll go…" Syaoran jumped in and quickly said, "Wait! If you're going, I'm going too!" Tomoyo added, "So am I!" Touya looked at them angrily. "Well…. I guess Tomoyo can come. But I just don't trust YOU!" He said pointing to Syaoran. "How do I know YOU didn't do this to her?!" A vein popped up on Syaoran's forehead. "WHAT?! I WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO SAKURA!" Sakura looked up and glared at Touya. "DON'T SAY THAT ABOUT SYAORAN! HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO ME!" Her face turned even redder and she stomped on his foot. "OUCH!" He rubbed his foot. "Alright, alright…. He can come. Let's just go already."  
  
Sakura thought about all that happened. How could she explain to her brother and father what happened? "Oh, I have magical powers and someone broke in last night to try and take my powers and then tried to kill me?" But what could she say? What would she do? She was scared… she just wanted to lean on someone and cry. And she did. She grabbed onto Syaoran's shoulder and started to cry. Syaoran blushed. "Ummm…. Do you want me to ummm… want me to… c-c-c-carry you to the hospital?" He asked nervously? Sakura looked up and stopped crying and her face went from red to light pink when she went from crying to blushing. "Oh… y-y-yeah… I'd like that!" So Syaoran picked her up and held her in his arms and started to run towards the hospital. Tomoyo yelled. "Hey! Wait for me!" And she ran after them. Touya stood there for a minute while a sweat drop rolled down his head. "Damn brat. Putting his hands on my sister… But I'll deal with him later!" He ran off after them too.  
  
Syaoran's legs were getting tired. But he didn't care. He just wanted to get Sakura there. All he could think of was what Touya said. What if there really was poison on the tip of the knife? She could be dying right there in his arms! He looked down at the bandage on her face. It didn't look life threatening, but he wasn't going to take any chances! Sakura looked up and their eyes met. Syaoran lifted his face up, trying to avoid eye contact and keep a straight face, but he started to blush again. Within a few minutes, they were at the hospital, Tomoyo and Touya in tow. Syaoran set Sakura down on her feet outside the front doors. Sakura turned around. She was blushing too. "…Thank you Syaoran…" She took a step forward and gave him a quick hug. She quickly turned around and walked through the automatic opening doors. But he just sat there for a minute, thinking about that hug… until Tomoyo and Touya walked up. Tomoyo had her video camera in her hands. "Oh! You too are so kawaii!" Touya grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around. "Next time, you better keep your hands off her! I'd deal with you personally, but I gotta go get this knife analyzed!" Syaoran gave him an angry glare, as Touya walked through the front doors. Tomoyo tapped him on the shoulder and said, "C'mon, this is no time to be angry at him. Just ignore Touya. He's just a little overprotective. Let's go sit in the waiting room." They walked in and sat there for two hours.  
  
Finally, after two hours of pacing, worrying, and hoping, Sakura, now in a blue hospital gown, Touya, and Fujitaka walked out of one of the doctor's offices. Sakura had a depressed look on her face. It looked like she had been crying. She also no longer had a bandage on her face. Instead, a long red scar was in its place. Syaoran jumped up and ran over to her. "What happened? What did you learn?" He asked anxiously. Sakura looked up. "Well, there is good news, and bad news…" Her dad rang in. "Well, fortunately, there was no poison on the knife." Touya added, "They even let us keep the knife, sorta as a souvenir. Though they still are putting her on some drugs and she needs to rest in bed for a few days. Just to avoid a serious infection. She might have a small infection, nothing serious. This will keep any more bacteria outta her scar." Sakura looked up, like she was going to cry, "Which is the bad news…" She pointed to the scar… "I'm going to have this for the rest of my life! It will never go away!" She began to cry again and hugged Syaoran's shoulder again and kept crying. No one knew what to say…  
  
1.3.1 To be Continued…  
  
Poor Sakura-chan. Forever, that scar will mark her face… Wonder what Syaoran will think? Please review! Arigotou! 


	8. Babysitting Sakura, Poison, and the Myst...

1.1 Last time, Touya took Sakura to the hospital when he found a knife in the basement, but they found out that Sakura will have the scar for the rest of her life…  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Chapter 8  
  
Sakura was still leaning on Syaoran's shoulder; she even started to pound on his chest. It didn't bother him though, he could only think of what she had said. Her wound would never heal. She would always have that large red scar under her right eye. No one knew what to say to her. They walked in silence to the exit after Sakura went back to the hospital room to change back into her school uniform. No one made a sound. Even Tomoyo wouldn't tape it. Even she didn't want to remember this day. After they walked about two blocks from the hospital, Sakura's father broke the silence. "Sakura, I have to return to my job. I still have a presentation to do today. But I need you to go home and take those pills. They will help prevent any infection. However, they did already detect that you may have a small infection. So I'll need you to rest in bed for about a couple of days to make sure you don't get very sick." He looked at Touya. "I'm going to need you to watch over her." Touya shook his head. "I can't after today. I have a job to go to." "Well, somebody needs to watch over her. You have a job… I have a job… it looks like we may need to take alternate days off." Syaoran couldn't stand to look at Sakura so depressed. He had to do something. "I'll look over her for a few days." He said with a shaky voice, as if it took a lot of courage to say it. Which it did. Everyone stared at him for a second. Touya finally remarked, "No way. I wouldn't trust you at home with my sister for five minutes. Little alone a couple of days." Sakura and Syaoran looked mad and they both stomped on his feet. "OW! I'm really getting tired of that!" Fujitaka answered, "Well, it's not your decision if he can or can't. That's up to Sakura. What do you think?" Sakura looked directly at Syaoran, blushed, and quickly turned away. "Ummm… I'd like that… but I don't want to bother you, Syaoran." "It won't be a problem, Sakura. We have a three-day school weekend, remember? I won't mind…" Sakura's dad added, "Well, then it's settled. Syaoran will watch over Sakura while we're gone." Touya looked a little angry, but shrugged it off. "Whatever. Anyway, I gotta go meet up with Yukito. I promised I'd tell him what happened this morning after I had to quickly cancel lunch today. See ya, monster." Sakura was still too embarrassed thinking about Syaoran being next to her while she was in bed for three-days to pay any heed to Touya's insult. Tomoyo spoke up. "I gotta go too. My video camcorder batteries are dying. See you! And take care of yourself, Sakura!" And with that, Sakura and Syaoran were alone. They started to walk to Sakura's house. After Tomoyo left, he asked, "I still have one question: how did you explain what happened? How did you explain the knife?" "I simply said I came downstairs to see a burglar. The burglar saw me and ran for it. I said he threw the knife and escaped. I was so scared that I pass out right there." "Pretty clever. I'm not sure I could have thought of an elaborate story."  
  
They walked in silence for about a minute. After a little while, Sakura said, "Thank you, Syaoran." Syaoran looked puzzled. "Thank me for what? I haven't done anything." Sakura blushed. "Well, you promised to help me, since these drugs will probably leave me drowsy and tired for a few days… And with this ugly scar on my face, I'm pretty sure you don't even want to look at my face…" Syaoran couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That's not true, Sakura! You're making too big a deal out of this. Besides, you're face is beautiful with or without that scar!" Sakura's eyes widened and she blushed like crazy. "What?!" She quickly turned her face away from Syaoran's face so he wouldn't see her blushing. She didn't realize that Syaoran was doing the same. "Re-re-really?!" Syaoran couldn't believe what he had said. "Ummm… well… I…" He couldn't think of anything to say. Sakura looked up at Syaoran, still blushing. The sun was beginning to set behind them. "Syaoran…" He looked up at her. "Thank you… thank you for everything…" She leaped towards him, grabbed him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, and quickly started to skip home. Syaoran, on the other hand, wasn't moving. He just sat there for a few minutes, with his face redder than it has ever been, and rubbed his cheek where she had kissed him. After a few minutes, he came to his senses, as Sakura was rounding the corner. "Ummm… hey! Wait up, Sakura!" And he ran after her.  
  
A few minutes later, Sakura was lying down on the couch in her living room in her pajamas. Syaoran walked in and asked her, "What are you doing in here? You're supposed to be resting in bed!" Sakura looked at him. "I didn't want to sleep in my bed tonight." "Why not?" "Well, I didn't want to sleep alone tonight, and there is no place for you to sleep in my room… so I thought you could sleep on that sofa, right next to this one." Syaoran blushed. He thought to himself, "Sleep in the same room? Right next to her? Well, at least she's not asking me to sleep in the same bed…" "All right Sakura. I'll do it." He said out loud. "Great! Thank you, Syaoran!" "All right Sakura, now that that is settled, I'll go get your medicine." He walked into the kitchen and got out a plate. He filled a glass of water and put one of each pill on the plate. He was going to bring it to her when… "Syaoran!" "Huh?" He walked into the living room. "What is it Sakura?" "Could you go get Kero? I think he's still playing video games upstairs. I wanna go tell him what happened, but I'm getting very tired, and my favorite show is on: 'Pretty Z Fighter Mononoke!'" Alright, I'll go get him.  
  
Syaoran walked up the stairs while Sakura watched her anime. But unaware to either of them was that there was someone in the kitchen… There was the sound of the unscrewing of a bottle, and the pouring of a liquid into a glass… Then the mysterious person vanished through an open window. A few minutes later…  
  
"So, what happened, kid?" Kero asked. Sakura told him of everything that happened that day. Kero growled. "So now this kid is gotta be with us for three days? That's just great…" "KERO!" Just then Syaoran walked in with the plate with the water and pills. "Come on, Sakura, time to take your pills." He sat down next to hr and put the pills "Alright." She put the pills in her mouth and swallowed them with the water. "Hmm…" She thought. "Water tastes pretty strange today." She looked at the clock and yawned. "Oh well, it's 9:00 already. Touya and dad should be home soon… it's time to go to bed." Kero said energetically, "Only 9:00? I can get in another hour of video games! Yahoo!" And with that, Kero flew upstairs to finish his video games. Sakura closed her eyes and leaned on Syaoran's lap. "Ummm, Sakura? I need to get on the other sofa to go to bed." "…" "…She must already be asleep. I can't blame her though. Today has been pretty emotional." He looked at her sleeping like an angel sleeping. He didn't dare wake her. Instead, he reached for the light switch behind him and turned them off. He closed his eyes, and fell asleep, with his head leaning on hers.  
  
Touya came home a few minutes later. He didn't like seeing them sleep on the same couch, but he was too tired and didn't want to disturb them. He would just have to punish Syaoran some other day. He headed for bed. Soon Fujitaka came home and headed for bed too.  
  
Syaoran was sleeping peacefully when… "AHH! OW! THE PAIN! SYAORAN!" Syaoran jumped up to see what was the matter. He turned around to see Sakura clutching her chest, squirming in pain. "SAKURA! WHAT'S WRONG?!" Sakura tried to talk. "Th-th-the PAIN! I-I don't know what's happening! It feels like my chest is on fire! SYAORAN! PLEASE! HELP ME!" Syaoran began to panic. He screamed out, "TOUYA! FUJITAKA! COME QUICK! SAKURA'S IN TROUBLE! HELP! WE NEED HELP!" Touya and Fujitaka ran down the stairs in a matter of seconds. "QUICK! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH SAKURA! LOOK!" He pointed at Sakura, still in tremendous pain. Touya and Fujitaka screamed in chorus, "SAKURA!" They ran down to her, Touya grabbed one hand, her dad grabbed the other. Touya asked, "SAKURA, WHAT'S WRONG!" Syaoran answered, "She's not sure! I woke up to hear her scream and she said her chest is in terrible pain!" Her dad told Syaoran, "It sounds like she's having an allergic reaction to her pills! Go into the kitchen and fetch those pill bottles! Maybe there's a warning, directions, anything! Touya! Go call an ambulance! My poor daughter…" He grabbed her hand and squeezed harder. "Don't worry, honey! Everything is going to be okay! Just try to calm down!" Sakura continued to squeeze her chest and scream in pain. "S-s-s-Syaoran! Where is Syaoran?!" "He's in the kitchen, fetching the pills! Please, just calm down!"  
  
Meanwhile, Syaoran grabbed the prescription bottles and read the sides for any warnings or side effects on the side. Touya dialed up on the phone, but there was no ring. The line was dead. "DAMMIT! What's wrong with this piece of crap?! The line is dead!" "What?!" Syaoran and asked, "How can it be dead?! At a time like this?!" He felt a warm breeze through an open window. "Open window…" He turned around to see that the large kitchen window was wide open. "That wasn't open when I got here…" He noticed a brown bottle sitting on the floor. "What's this?" He picked it up and read the label. "OH MY GOD! TOUYA! WE GOTTA SHOW THIS! COME ON!" They ran to the living room.  
  
Fujitaka stood up. "What did you find? Warnings? Directions?" Syaoran held up the bottle. Fujitaka's face turned pale. Syaoran stated, "POISON!" On the bottle was a hand-made label that read, "Time-released poison." There was also a skull painted on. "Someone must have snuck in through the window and poured this in the water Sakura used to take her pills while I was upstairs!" Fujitaka was panicky. Finally, he asked, "Touya, when will an ambulance be here?" "The line was dead! Someone must've cut the line from outside!" "What?! You must be joking! This can't be happening! Syaoran! Stay here and keep Sakura company while we go run next door and call an ambulance!" Touya added, "Remember! My sister's life is in your hands!" They ran out the door. But before they got even ten feet from the door, a strange figure pounced from off the roof, knocking them out cold on the sidewalk. A strange feminine voice pierced through the darkness. "So, the plan is working." Then, a shorthaired blonde woman with dark eyes wearing a tuxedo, similar to the ones the past two strangers wore, walked in the front door. Kero came flying down the stairs. "What's going on?! I heard Sakura scream, but I couldn't come down with Touya and Sakura's dad down here." He spotted the stranger. "HEY! Who are you? And why are Touya and Sakura's dad lying on the concrete?!" The strange woman grabbed a bag of powder from her suit and tossed some at Kero. He fell asleep on the ground right there instantly. She rounded the corner to see Syaoran sitting in front of Sakura, holding her hand. Syaoran hadn't seen her yet. The strange woman drew a sword from her side, and slowly snuck up behind Syaoran, smiling evilly.  
  
"Sakura, calm down. Your brother and father are going to get an ambulance right now. You've drank some poison. But you'll be fine." "Oh, no she won't." The blonde woman spoke out. Syaoran turned around to see her. "You! You're one of them!" "My, how observant of you!" She jumped at him, but Syaoran jumped to side, though her sword sliced the coffee table in two. Syaoran reached into his backpack and pulled out his sword. "I'm gonna take you down for Sakura!" He charged at her and took a swing, but she put her sword in the way and held him back with minimal effort. "I'm the best swords woman ever. I doubt you could even scratch me. I'm surprised my brothers lost to someone as weak as you and your girlfriend there!" She pushed him away and sent him tumbling backwards. "Now you can die just like your girlfriend there. In a lot of pain!" "You… you mean she is going to die?" She gave him a wicked smile. "Oh yes, I'd give her an hour left. She's in quite tremendous pain. That poison has no cure. She will die. No way around it. That poison I slipped in her water has never failed to work before, and as you can see…" She pointed to Sakura, clutching chest still. "Syaoran! Don't… AHH! Worry about me… UGH… just go! If I know you're safe, I can die easily…" "Don't say that Sakura!" The blonde villain laughed. "Aww… how touching, but it's time to end this!" Syaoran was pissed. His dark brown eyes almost glowed. "You're right! It ends here! Right now!" He jumped forward and sliced off half of her sword in one swing. A look of fear crossed her face right before he took another swing, cutting her a fatal blow to the gut. "UGH! …Fine… it doesn't matter anymore… my job is done… the girl will die!" With that, her body vanished like the last two. He ran over to Sakura. She was out cold. She was still breathing. But she was completely unconscious. "At least she isn't in pain anymore…" Syaoran began to cry. "B-b-b-b-but… I can't say goodbye! I'll miss you too much! Please, don't die on me Sakura!"  
  
"Sakura will be fine."  
  
"Huh?" Syaoran heard a voice come out of nowhere. Suddenly, a mysterious girl walked into the room. "I said Sakura will be fine." The girl had large blue eyes. She was wearing a light blue gown. She was holding a brown staff in her right hand. She had long blonde hair. She appeared to be about 10 years old. "Wh-who are you?!" "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mia. I know all about you, Syaoran Li of the Li family of Hong Kong and Sakura Kinomoto, the master of the Clow Cards." Syaoran was shocked. "You… you know about the Clow Cards?! How?! What do you want?!" "There will be time for questions later. Right now, we must help Sakura." She walked up to Sakura. She placed her right hand on Sakura's slowly breathing face. With her left hand, she held her staff in the air. "Hamanan Sama!" A bright blue light filled the air and Sakura's body floated in the air, very limp. A green energy seem to fly out of Sakura's body. She slowly floated down to the sofa as the blue light died down. "Sakura will now be perfectly fine." Sakura opened her emerald eyes. "Wh-wh-what happened? I remember seeing Syaoran standing up to some strange woman, then I passed out. I thought I was dead." Syaoran's eyes filled with tears. "SAKURA!" He yelled. He jumped up and ran over to her and hugged her. He began to cry tears of joy. "I was so afraid we were going to lose you… and look! Your scar is gone too!" Sakura blushed and rubbed her face where her scar used to be. "What?! But… but how?!" She then noticed Mia standing in the room. "Who are you? You don't look like one of THEM." Mia stared directly at them. My name is Mia. I come from around here… or what will be here. I'm from seven years in the future!"  
  
Sakura and Syaoran were speechless.  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, does this explain the title? This is also where the real story begins! I hope you liked it. And did I scare you when Sakura passed out from the poison? Please review! Arigotou! 


	9. Sadin, the Evil Sorcerer

Last time, Syaoran agreed to baby-sit Sakura while she would be too helpless in her drugged state. But late at night, he woke to find she had been poisoned! A strange woman appeared and admitted she poisoned her, but Syaoran killed her. Sakura lay dying on the couch, when a strange woman came and cured her instantly, even removing the scar. She says she is from… the future!  
  
1.1 Chapter 9  
  
"Seven Years?!" Sakura and Syaoran exclaimed at once. They looked shocked. "H-h-how are you here from the future?! Why?!" Sakura questioned. "To ask for your help." Syaoran looked curious. "Help? Help with what?" He asked. "It is a long story." She sat down on the sofa. "Let me explain a few things. This may be confusing, but you must know." Syaoran thought for a second. "Well, you did save Sakura's life. I'm extremely grateful for that. So let's hear it. Maybe we can help you." "Alright. Here's where it all begins: Since the beginning of time, there was an evil wizard by the name of Sadin. Sadin was capable of traveling through time. Normally, when traveling through time, a person's body would age along with whatever time had passed, back in time or forward. But Sadin, you see, is ageless. He is no older today than he was 20,000,000 years ago. He is extremely evil. He has searched all over time and space to find ultimate power." "Ultimate power?" Syaoran interrupted. Sakura grabbed the Clow Cards and pulled them close to her chest. "You don't mean…" Mia looked her in the eyes. "That's right. The Clow Cards. He believes that he can absorb the power of the cards and gain so much power that he could rule the entire universe." Syaoran and Sakura stared at each other and quickly back at Mia. Sakura stated, "But if he is that powerful so he can control time, how come he doesn't just come here himself and try to take them from us?" Syaoran added, "Yeah, why does he send a bunch of lackeys to do his bidding?" Mia looked him in the eyes. "That's why he wants those cards!" "Huh?"  
  
"Sadin doesn't exist in any one time period. He just exists. He has his own little world. But he can control time here. He can see any time he wishes. That's how he learned of the Clow Cards. He can't get to this planet though, in any time. He can only create time portals large enough to send a few men and women through. The men and women in black tuxedos with the dark eyes are his creations." Syaoran added, "So, that's where those guys are coming from." "It's not where they are coming from, but when. Let me explain it a little better. Sadin thinks that if he can get his hands on the Clow Cards, he can use their magic to open a portal from his world to ours. Using his power and the Clow Cards, he could rule not just the world, not just the universe, but all of time itself!" They gasped. "We can't let that happen, Syaoran!" "I know, Sakura. But if he can't get to our world, how can we get to his? And if he's that powerful, how can we defeat him? Besides, didn't you say that if we travel through time, we'd age? So if we tried to transport ourselves to WHENEVER he is, we'd either die of old age, or be shrunk down to before we were born?" Mia shook her head. "Normally, yes, but I have a plan! You see, in order for a portal to be opened from our world to his, the gate must be opened from our side. So in a year, Sadin will have created an army powerful enough to rule this planet. And he will. If time flowed like he changes it, the army of demons in the black tuxedos will destroy almost everything. Cities will be toppled, people slain, technology erased from time, the world will be sent back to the Stone Age. The worst part, you two were killed." Syaoran and Sakura gasped. "What?! Me and Sakura… KILLED?!" "How can you expect me and Syaoran to fight someone we know will kill us?!" "That's the beauty of my plan. You see, according to the grave I found of you two, you were killed four years from now, and Sadin had taken over the world completely in seven years. Since he had the total control in seven years, that's sorta where he set up his base of operations. He has the Clow Cards then, and is setting up five shrines. When each shrine absorbs enough power from the Clow Cards, a portal will open that will take him from his world to ours. MY theory is that if we can put these in the place of the Clow Cards, it will reverse the portal, and take US to him!"  
  
Mia grabbed a shining green stone out of a small leather bag tied to her waist. It was the same color as Sakura's eyes.  
  
"These are magic absorbing stones. If we can put them where the Clow Cards should be, then it should destroy the shrines. When all the shrines are destroyed, the portal to his world will allow us to go to his world, but he won't be able to come into ours."  
  
Syaoran thought of something. "But if we travel to the future, won't the Clow Cards still be with us, so the shrines won't be built?" "No, they'll be there. Sadin knew that he should have the world under his power by the seventh year, so he had his minions start to construct the shrines, even before he killed the two of you and stole the cards in four years. And if we can destroy Sadin in his own world, time will revert back to when he first interfered with the flow of time, namely, the day that you met the first black tuxedo in the park. And here is how we can get to those shrines: Sadin has left a portal open in this town. That's where the tuxedos are appearing from. He kept the portal open so that maybe he could find a way to steal the Clow Cards from you. It's the same portal I snuck through to get from the future to now! He is rather impatient. He doesn't want to wait for his minions in the future. Ironic, isn't it? All the time in the world and he can't wait a minute? Anyway, we shall show him his mistake of his impatient manner by using his own time portal to travel to the future when the shrines are finished! We travel through the portal, destroy the shrines, defeat Sadin, and then everything will be restored! And since we only travel seven years into the future, our bodies will only age seven years! With that age, the four of us will be even stronger!"  
  
Syaoran and Sakura looked at her confused. "FOUR of us?" Sakura asked. "Oh yes, I forgot to mention, I brought back a friend of yours from the future. I believe you already know each other well!" Sakura's eyes widen when she saw her old friend walk into the room. "TOMOYO!" She squealed. Sakura jumped up and ran over to her and hugged her. She was dressed in a dress very similar to Mia's only black. She looked exactly like the Tomoyo from the current time. "I'm so glad to hear you were… or will be… whatever in the future!" Tomoyo smiled. "No, I'm the one who should be glad. I… I… I saw you and Syaoran killed in the future by a black tuxedo. It was horrible… I couldn't sleep, knowing I watched your end… But when Mia told me and the rest of the mages that there was a way to go back in time to rescue you, how could I not come?!" Syaoran stared at her with a weird look on his face. "Did you say… mages? Are you a mage?" Tomoyo smiled. "Yes, Mia is a Blue Mage, who is a healer, and I'm a Black Mage, who uses offensive magic to keep the tuxedos away. When all the technology and science records were destroyed, the remaining humans had to find some way to survive. Eventually, some people stumbled upon ancient scrolls in temples of lost civilizations. So, humans used those scrolls to learn magic. Watch!" Tomoyo kept her hands a few inches apart and concentrated. "Fire!" A tiny fireball appeared between her hands and started to fly around. "Using magic like this, and combined with the Blue Mages healing and shielding power, the remaining population was able to keep pretty safe from the tuxedos. But sadly, we aren't powerful enough to even think about trying to destroy Sadin."  
  
Syaoran asked Mia, "So, you're a Blue Mage of healing? Is that how you healed Sakura? Even the scar on her face?" "Yes, I know many healing spells. The scar was easy to heal. And I've seen that kind of poison used before. I already knew the right spell to cure it. Which is a good thing, since Sakura would be dead now if it weren't for that spell." "Then I thank you for saving her life once again. We gotta repay you. Sakura! I've already decided. I'm going. What about you?" Sakura looked at him angrily. "How could I stay here knowing the entire world is in jeopardy?! Of course I'm going! Besides, I couldn't let you go alone, could I?!" Mia and Tomoyo smiled. "Alright, let's go, the portal is in the center of the park. We should try and get there soon. If anyone saw us, then who knows what could happen?" Mia said. "Besides," Tomoyo asked, "what would I say if I saw me?" Sakura and Syaoran thought, "Man, all this time travel stuff is confusing! My head hurts just thinking about this. But there's no time to lose! …Wait! If we don't hurry, we will lose all the time in the world! Literally!" And with that, they ran out the door.  
  
"Wait! Mia! Shouldn't we wake up Kero and Touya and everyone?" Syaoran added, "Yea, they were knocked out, apparently during the fight." "It wouldn't make a difference. There isn't enough power in the time portal to send any more than the four of us through. They will have to stay here. Even Kero. Come on, let's hurry!" And they rushed off to the park.  
  
A few minutes later, they were shoving their way through the jungle of trees in the park. Soon, Sakura saw an opening. She shoved her way through, and there on top of a hill was a gateway to the future. It looked like a purple whirlpool floating in mid air. They stood at the entrance of it. "Come on! Let's go!" Mia said. She and Tomoyo jumped into the portal, and disappeared almost instantly. "Syaoran, I'm scared!" "I am too, Sakura, but we must go!" She grabbed his hand, and he blushed. "Well, here goes nothing…" He jumped into the portal, dragging Sakura in with him.  
  
They disappeared.  
  
1.1.1 To be Continued…  
  
Now, the real story begins… 


	10. Walk in the Cemetery

1.1 Chapter 10  
  
"Where… where am I? Syaoran… Syaoran where are you?"  
  
Sakura was floating in a bright light. She couldn't see anything. Just a bright white light all around her.  
  
"Sakura! Sakura, I'm here!" Syaoran appeared next to her. They could barely see the outline of each other.  
  
"Syaoran! I'm scared!" She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Hold on to me! Don't let go!"  
  
They could actually feel themselves changing as they flew through the time portal. They hugged close to each other. Suddenly, they looked above them and saw a red light. The end of the portal.  
  
"Sakura! Hold on! We're almost there!" His voice sounded deeper than usual. They were flung out of the portal at high speeds. They were flung into the air and Sakura landed on Syaoran on the grass. "Ow… That hurt… Syaoran, are you alright?" Sakura asked. She couldn't see him. It was very dark. "I'll be fine… as soon as you get off my back…" "Oh. Sorry!" She blushed, though no one could see it and she quickly jumped up. She felt… different. Syaoran got up and asked, "Where are we?"  
  
"The park, just seven years in the future." It was Mia.  
  
Sakura tried to see her, but it was still too dark. "Mia, I can't see you, or anything. What happened? Why is everything so dark?"  
  
"Here, maybe this will help." It was Tomoyo, or at least it sounded a little like her. Suddenly, a bright light appeared, revealing everything around them. Tomoyo had cast fire and a ball of fire was in her hands, lighting the area around her. "TOMOYO! You're… you're… older! Mia! You too!" Sakura stated. Indeed, now Tomoyo and Mia looked like they were 17 or 18. The dresses they were wearing were now elegant looking gowns. They were taller, but they still looked like Tomoyo and Mia. Tomboy's hair still went down to her shoulders, her face still was rather cute and child like, her skin was still a pale peach. "Well, we're not the only ones! Take a look at yourselves!" Tomoyo told them.  
  
Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other and jumped back in shock. They looked at themselves and at each other in absolute astonishment. Syaoran was the first to speak. "Sakura! You look… umm…" He didn't know what to say. She looked more beautiful than ever. She had gained a foot and a half in height, and her hair and had grown down to her hip. She was very slight. Her face… it was more beautiful than he could imagine. Her lips… her kawaii little nose… they were all beautiful. But when he looked into her eyes… he could just stare into them forever. Her face still had that look of child- like innocence that he always saw in her. She was dressed in a variation of her Elementary school uniform. She had her hat, the long sleeved shirt, and a pleated white skirt that went down to her knees. "You look…." He couldn't finish it. He just sat there and blushed. He didn't know what to say. His heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest.  
  
Sakura didn't fare much better. Li was very tall and slender. He was at least a foot taller than her. Hi hair looked as untamed as ever. It wasn't any longer, but it was just better. He was dressed in a green long sleeved shirt and a pair of dark denim jeans. His face was incredibly handsome. Especially his eyes. She almost melted just looking at them. He was the most handsome person she had ever seen. "And you look… umm… very… uhh…" She blushed too. Her heart was going a million miles an hour.  
  
Tomoyo laughed. "Come on you two. There will be time for flirting later!" They looked at her and veins popped on their foreheads. "WE WERE NOT FLIRTING!" They screamed in unison. "Uh-huh! Sure you weren't! Come on Romeo and Juliet! We gotta go!" They glared at her angrily. Then they stared at each other, blushed, and hurried along, following them. After a minute of walking over what seemed like eternal darkness around them, with only Tomoyo's fire lighting the area around them, Syaoran asked, "Why is everything so dark?" Mia turned around, "Well, partly because it's night, partly because of a spell Sadin's minions put a spell that partly blocked the sun. And with less sunlight, the moon doesn't light up, so at night, it's always pitch black. "That's horrible!" Sakura said, still getting used to her older sounding voice. "Say," she wondered, "where are we going to first?" Tomoyo turned around. The light of her fire was lighting all the features of her face. They could see she was still optimistic looking with the big smile on her face, despite the world being flung into terror, watching her best friends being killed, and all that has gone wrong. "We're heading for the main village of the mages." Mia added in, "It's where the Tomeda Elementary School used to be." "USED to be?!" "Yes, Sakura. USED to be. The tuxedos tore it down shortly after their arrival. Since it was so big and open, we decided it would be the perfect place to set up a new village. But first, we must walk through the cemetery." Sakura's face went pale. "D-d-d-did you say cemetery?! OH NO! It's probably full of ghosts! I hate ghosts!" She clung to Syaoran's chest. "Please! Let's take a detour! I can't stand cemeteries!" Syaoran looked down at her. "It's alright Sakura. I'll hold your hand as we walk through if you like." Sakura looked up and blushed. "Well… I guess if YOU will walk me through…" Mia pushed her way through some vines wrapped around some trees and walked through them. "Alright, we're at the cemetery. Let's move out. But be quiet. Tuxedos are often seen walking around here." Tomoyo's smile quickly died down. Ummm… could you guys let me do something first?" They all looked at each other before responding. Mia nodded. "Okay, but we better hurry." Tomoyo's eyes shimmered with the light of her fire, but her face wasn't as bright. "…Thank you…" She ran off in one direction and everyone followed her. Tomoyo eventually stopped next to a pair of gravestones and kneeled down in front of them. Sakura never figured out how she remembered their exact location, out of the thousands of gravestones around them. Tomoyo put her fire on a nearby torch. Then, she began to cry. Sakura and Syaoran sat next to her, when Sakura asked, "What's wrong, Tomoyo?" She just pointed at the two graves in front of her, with dying white flowers in front of her. She began to cry harder. Sakura and Syaoran pushed the flowers out of the way and covered their mouths with their hands. They were in shock.  
  
The graves were for Tomoyo's parents.  
  
Sakura's eyes began to water. "How?! How could this happen?!"  
  
"…It happened four years ago. I was very ill with a new virus that had developed thanks to that damned Sadin. An army of his lackeys invaded our village. I could barely move. They feared that if they tried to move me, I would die. And the Blue Mages still needed time to develop a cure for my illness… sniffle… My parents were also Black Mages like me. They stood at the entrance to my room and fought off all of those wretched demons that tried to get in. But while they drove them off, they suffered fatal injuries. A few days later, the Blue Mages cured me. When I asked what had happened to my parents, they just showed me to their graves… I never even got a chance to say goodbye!" Tomoyo burst into tears.  
  
Sakura and Syaoran were still in shock. If that happened to Tomoyo's parents, who even had their own personal bodyguards, their parents could have been killed as well, even though Sakura's mother had already died long ago, and Syaoran's family, was supposed to still be in Hong Kong. But still, who knows what could have happened to them.  
  
Sakura and Syaoran didn't know what to say. "That's why I want to help you guys destroy Sadin. If he is gone, the world will return to the way it was supposed to be. All these graves… they wouldn't be needed… so many lives would be spared… tragedies like this wouldn't have to happen to anyone…"  
  
"THERE THEY ARE! GET THEM!"  
  
It was the Tuxedos! Had they spotted them? Mia ran up. "Quickly! Everyone hide in the bushes!" They all ran and jumped into the bushes and slowly and quietly tried to sneak away, when a tuxedo flew in the air and landed unconscious on a grave right near the bushes they were hiding in. The tuxedos weren't after them! The demons were after someone else! Soon, the screaming of the demons was heard and a voice said in a mellow tone, "That's the last of them. But we can't go on like this forever."  
  
Sakura recognized that voice. She stood up and saw two figures standing in the darkness. They had large angel wings. She instantly recognized them both. She stood up and yelled.  
  
"KERO! YUE!"  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, are things getting much more interesting? Now, here is where the whole story is revealed… in a couple of chapters… ^^' It's going to be a long fic… And by the way, thanks for the reviews! I have already written chapters 1-21, I'm just slowly adding them. And I'm not even half done writing it yet, so there's always more to come… 


	11. Kero and Yue Return

1.1 Last time, Sakura and Syaoran emerged seven years in the future, and (after gawking at each other's new 17 year old bodies ^^ ) they walked down the cemetery, only to find… Kero and Yue?!  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Chapter 11  
  
"Who is there?!" Yue asked. "Show yourselves!" Keroberos added. Sakura started to wave her hands in the air. "It's me! Sakura! I'm so glad to see your both alright!" See jumped out of the bushes and ran towards them. Syaoran, Mia, and Tomoyo all cried at once, "Sakura! No! Come back quick!" But it was too late. She was near them Syaoran jumped out and ran to get her. Sakura walked into the light of a lit torch on a pole so Yue and Keroberos could see them. She could see them better. They hadn't changed much. Or at all, really. But that can be expected from two beings that have already lived for well over a thousand years. Seven years is nothing for them. But when she tried to get closer to them, they jumped back and stood in an offensive position, as if they were ready to strike her down. Syaoran appeared and grabbed Sakura's arm. "Come on Sakura! Get back!" Sakura looked confused. "Why should I be scared? It's just Kero and Yue!" "Yes, but for them, it's been seven years since they've seen us. We've changed so much, they might not recognize us! And you saw what they did to those tuxedos."  
  
"I'll ask again. Who is there? Identify yourselves. You claim to be Sakura. We once knew a Sakura, but she is dead. Who are you really?" Yue asked with a serious look on his face. That same unchanging look he always has. "I demand to know! WHO ARE YOU?!" Sakura got her arm free from Syaoran. "Don't be silly! We can trust them!" She turned her back towards Syaoran and walked closer to Yue and Keroberos. Still, she wondered why they were in their true forms and not in their borrowed forms of Yukito and Kero. But she quickly forgot that and just thought about how glad she was to see that they were alive. They were a little dirty and roughed up from fighting, but still okay. "It's really me! Sakura Kinomoto! Don't you recognize me? And he's still Syaoran Li!" She pointed to a nervous looking Syaoran behind her. A sweat drop rolled down his head.  
  
"LIARS!" Yue snapped. Keroberos jumped forward and growled. He looked incredibly fierce in his true form, like a giant yellow tiger. He screamed at them, "You are not our masters! Our master Sakura Kinomoto, Mistress of the Clow Cards, and her friend Syaoran Li, head of the Li clan in Hong Kong, died long ago! They disappeared one night seven years ago… they were never heard from again! That night I remember a strange woman broke into Sakura's house… she put me to sleep… I never heard from my master again…"  
  
It started to rain gently.  
  
"But Keroberos! It is really us! We're alive and perfectly fine!" "You lie!" Kero screamed. His face was full of rage. "How dare you shame the name of our master by claiming to be them!" Yue stepped forward. "I sense a great deal of magical power in them… they must be demons! They have disguised themselves in order to kill us! They are followers of Sadin! Kill them!"  
  
The rain began to become heavier.  
  
Sakura gasped. "No! Wait!" But it was too late. Keroberos jumped high in the air towards Sakura. He landed on her with tremendous force, pinning her to the muddy ground. She let out a scream of pain. Keroberos had his paws on her shoulders to keep her from moving. He raised a paw in the air and was about to slice Sakura's head clean off in one swipe when something hit his side and flung him off. Sakura looked up and saw Syaoran had kicked him off. Keroberos quickly got up and growled at Syaoran. "Insolent whelp!" He lunged at Syaoran and was ready to maul him.  
  
"Stop Keroberos." Yue ordered. "Leave him to me." By now Sakura was standing next to Syaoran. Syaoran drew his sword from his side. Light from the torches gleamed off his sword. Keroberos drew back. "…As you wish…" He said with reluctance in his voice. Yue flew within about 5 feet of Syaoran and place his hands together as if he were holding a sword. Within a second, he materialized a long sword out of magic energy. "Have at you, demon!" He pointed his energy sword at and lunged at him. Sakura pulled back, while Syaoran fought. She thought to herself, "I know what to do! I'll use the windy card to tie them up, just like I did in the Final Judgment! I'll just—" She reached into her pocket to pull out the Clow Cards. "Ahh!" she screamed out loud. "They're… they're gone!" Then she remembered. She left the Clow Cards in her backpack in the bushes! She dashed to get it while Syaoran dueled with Yue.  
  
Meanwhile, the fight between Syaoran and Yue ravaged on. Neither one could land a hit on the other. Syaoran would attack high, and Yue would fly above it or duck underneath it. Yue would stab, but Syaoran would jump to one side. Their swords constantly clashed, sending sparks into the air. Their swords collided and held that way. They pushed as hard as they could to shove the other away. They were so close to each other and pushing so hard they could see the sweat on the other's face even in the dim light. "It's time to end this, demon." Yue said, with his face inches from Syaoran's face, with their swords pressed together. Syaoran tried to get a better footing, but put his foot in the mud by mistake and lost his balance, falling on the ground. Yue pointed the tip of his energy sword at Syaoran neck. With his left hands, he sent energy blasts at his hands and feet, pinning him to the ground like shackles. Syaoran couldn't move. No one could help him. He was at Yue's mercy. Yue dropped his sword and it faded away. "Now it is time to teach you a lesson." Yue said with utter hatred in his light blue eyes. He floated higher into the air. It was hard for Syaoran to see him with the increasing rain, and the fog that was rolling into the already black night. But he could still tell what he was doing. Yue was gathering his energy and forming spike all around him. He would fire them at him like arrows. He was right. Within seconds, he could see a barrage of arrow like crystals flying at him. If any of them hit, it would be fatal. He braced for the worst and turned away.  
  
Syaoran closed his eyes and turned away. He couldn't stand to watch his incoming doom. He waited. Time seemed to drag on forever. Suddenly, he realized at least 30 seconds must have passed. But how could he still be alive? He looked up and saw a barrier around him and that all the energy had been stopped at the outside. What happened? He looked behind him. "SAKURA!" It was Sakura holding her staff. She had gotten her Clow Cards and used the Shield Card to protect him. "Sakura… you've saved my life…" He said while blushing a little. "Only repaying the favor…" She said, blushing as well.  
  
The rain stopped.  
  
The magic arrows around Syaoran disappeared, as did the magic shackles that held him down. The Shield Card disappeared and allowed him to stand. Yue and Keroberos landed next to them. Yue was the first to speak. "You… used a Clow Card? …So you really are Sakura Kinomoto? Mistress of the Cards? My master who defeated me in the Final Judgment those seven long years ago, the year when the world was turned to chaos?" Sakura sighed. "That's what I kept trying to tell you! But you wouldn't listen!" Yue and Kero stood in silence. They looked almost ashamed of themselves. Kero spoke out. "We are terribly sorry for what we have done… But you must understand, we thought you and Syaoran were long dead! You… you disappeared those seven years ago… without a trace… we missed you greatly… and without your power, we couldn't stay in our borrowed forms. We had to hide so no one could see us. We just waited for the day you would return… but less than a week later… we heard terrible news… the bodies of a young girl and boy were found in the woods. They were so badly hurt their bodies were unrecognizable. Everyone thought the two bodies belonged to you and Syaoran… So when we heard… we just assumed you were dead and never coming back… A week later, that's when Sadin began his malicious attack on our world…"  
  
"I see," Syaoran thought to himself, "Because we disappeared and weren't killed, the future is different than Mia said… but everyone still thought we were dead…" Kero continued. "So, you must understand, Sadin has been after us. He keeps trying to learn more about the Clow Cards from us, so when our dead master shows up with the boy found dead with her…" "You thought we were his minions trying to trick you." Sakura finished for him. She gave Mia and Tomoyo a signal that it was alright to come out of hiding. "Exactly." Kero said. "But one thing bothers me." "What's that Kero?" Kero turned his head to the side. "If you weren't killed that day… what happened to you?" It's a long story. But to make a long story short, we traveled in time in order to stop Sadin." Yue's eyes widened. "You are going to try and take on Sadin? You must be crazy. We couldn't even try to defeat him. He doesn't even exist in this world. He's in his own world, sending his lackeys here to find the Clow Cards." "We know. But we have a plan to stop him. But I think we are going to need your help!" Yue and Kero looked at each other, and Yue said, "Alright. We'll do it. We'll help you. You are our master after all." Sakura had a huge smile on her face. "Yay! Thank you so much!" She jumped in the air in excitement. Kero just smiled. "You've grown up so much, into a young lady… but you're still the same old Sakura…"  
  
And so they walked down the cemetery towards the mage village as Sakura, Syaoran, Mia, and Tomoyo told them the plan of how they would try and rid the universe of the evil Sadin.  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, what did you think about Kero and Yue being the bad guys for once? I kinda liked it. The real quest begins soon… 


	12. The Underground Lair of the Mages

1.1 Chapter 12  
  
After a few minutes of traveling, Mia pointed out some rising smoke on the horizon. "That's the main mage village. We have everything you'll need for your journey to each shrine. We'll tell you everything you need to know about the location of the shrines and what to expect on your journey." Tomoyo wringed out part of her dress. "And we'll have some dry clothes to change into! That rain has ruined my dress…" Sakura looked at her own outfit. The skirt was soaked and covered with mud and the rest was stained with grass. "Ugh… yuck. I hope you have something my size." Tomoyo smiled. "Don't worry, I kept making kawaii outfits for you, even after you died… or disappeared… I'm not sure which. This time travel stuff even confuses me." Syaoran gave her a weird look. He thought to himself, "So she keeps making clothes for us even after we died? Sheesh. She's just as nuts as when we left…" Tomoyo looked at Sakura. "Well, it at least it looks like you're over your fear of ghosts! We're still not quite out of the cemetery, but you seem okay!" Sakura's face turned pale. She began to shiver and clung onto Syaoran again. "Thanks a lot, Tomoyo." Syaoran said sarcastically. And the six of them continued on through the cemetery, Sakura still shivering while squeezing onto Syaoran.  
  
A few minutes later, they were in the center of the mage village, where the old Elementary School used to stand. The buildings were made of heavy large stones of many colors. The roofs were covered in straw, and some even had smoke rising from the chimneys. It was easy to see as the sun began to rise, though it was still very dark, with the storm clouds overhead blocking the sun. The main building at the end of the town was built right into the side of a hill. Tomoyo ran ahead. "Come on!" She screamed. "Everyone is expecting the galactic heroes!" Sakura and Syaoran looked puzzled. Sakura asked Mia, "What did Tomoyo mean by 'galactic heroes?'" Mia replied, "Well, to tell the truth, we are the only ones who actually know who you really are. When I figured out the plan to rescue you, I didn't want anyone to know your real names, lest Sadin should find out. So the other mages dubbed you the 'Galactic Heroes,' after I told them my plan, since this is not the only planet under siege by Sadin. So if you can destroy Sadin, you will save many, many worlds. So you'd sorta be heroes around the Universe. Come on, the other mages are waiting." And they hurried through the village. Yue finally spoke up after minutes of silence. "Keroberos and I will wait out here at the entrance. We're not comfortable being seen by so many people at once." Kero added, "We'll also keep an eye out for any demons while we're here."  
  
They entered the main building through a wooden door in the side of a huge hill. When Sakura and Syaoran finally saw the interior, they gasped. It was huge. At the end of a small staircase leading down, was like an entire village. Magic torches throughout the series of caves lighted it brightly. They were so bright they couldn't look at them directly, or they would be blinded. There were many mages everywhere. They looked like normal people, but they were doing extraordinary things. Cooks were setting up a feast in one small cave by using fire magic to light the flames, Blue Mages were carrying heavy tables and setting them up with magic, making everything hover in the air. Some mages were even flying in the air, hanging decorations on the ceiling.  
  
Tomoyo ran and met up with them at the base of the staircase. They were still in awe over the site. Sakura asked, "What is all this? What are they preparing for?" Tomoyo smiled. "You two of course!" "US?!" Syaoran asked in a shocked tone. Mia told them, "Well, we figured we give you a feast before you set off on your journey. We have some more things for you to help you, but first," she pointed to two small caves on the other side of the under ground base. "Go in there. You'll find a change of clothes. I should probably change too. My dress is soaked." Tomoyo told Sakura, "Don't worry, I personally designed your outfit, so I know you'll love it!" A sweat drop rolled down her head as she recalled all of the insane outfits she had given her before, wondering only what this new one would look like. They set off for the rooms.  
  
A few minutes later, Syaoran emerged and waited next to Sakura's room. A few minutes later, Sakura walked out. Syaoran blushed on seeing her new look. She had pink everything. Pink high-heeled shoes, a pink skirt that ended just above her knees, a pink sleeveless blouse and a hat that looked very similar to a witches hat, only the point was limp, falling back, the brim was shaped like a heart instead of round, and it was pink instead of black. Her light brown hair still hanged down to her waist. She looked incredibly beautiful. Sakura got a glimpse of Syaoran, and her reaction was the same. He had dark green pants over tall dark black boots. His shirt had long sleeves and was the same dark green as his pants. Across his chest was the design of the board he always used in battle. He wore the same green hat he always wore back when they were capturing the cards seven years before. He was incredibly handsome. They stared at each other for a few seconds, blushing still, when Tomoyo snuck up dressed up in a formal black gown, from behind Sakura and tapped her on the shoulder. Sakura snapped out of the trance she was in. "Oh… umm… sorry, Tomoyo. I didn't see you coming." Tomoyo smiled. "I could see that. I could see you were looking on something, or should I say SOMEBODY else!" She giggled. Syaoran sighed. "Grow up, Tomoyo, we were just… thinking…" Tomoyo replied slyly, "Yeah, thinking 'bout each other… Come on you two love birds, let's go, the other mages are waiting!" And she ran off. Sakura and Syaoran stared angrily at her as she ran off, but followed her anyways.  
  
They walked into a huge room. The walls were paved with a smooth marble like stone, and lit by a bright chandelier, obviously powered by some magical force. The room was filled with tables, covered with delicious looking foods. Each table was filled with mages, all staring at them in astonishment. There was one table in particular that was very long. It could probably seat about 50 people. A mage stood up and lifted her glass up at them. She was wearing a long blue gown that touched the floor. They instantly recognized her, it was Mia. She walked over to them and said, "Come, now. Let us sit and feast, we will explain everything you need to know at dinner. And after dinner, we have some equipment you can use to help you on your journey." She pointed to a pair of leather backpacks against the wall. "But for now, let us celebrate your coming!" And they sat down at the table. The table was filled with delicious foods. Many types of birds, fruits, pork, vegetables, wines, (Though Sakura and Syaoran don't drink, so they had a fruit juice instead.) and just about everything else was there. Sakura and Syaoran sat next to each other at the middle of one end of the table, with Mia and Tomoyo next to them.  
  
At the back of the room, a mage with a hood covering his face looked on at them curiously. "Somehow, they look so familiar… they remind me of, THEM…but it couldn't be them… besides, they weren't even warriors…"  
  
Mia stood up and made a speech. "Today, is the beginning of the fall of Sadin!" The crowd of mages at the tables let out a cheer. "Today, we have brought to you, the Galactic Heroes who will free us from the tyranny of our cruel leader!" There was another cheer. "Please welcome the greatest warriors of the universe, Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li!" There was another cheer. A mage stood up and screamed, "WHAT?! IT IS YOU!" The mage jumped up from his seat and ran towards the room. Sakura and Syaoran stood up and looked at him strangely. The stranger ran over to Sakura and grabbed her. "IT IS YOU! BUT… BUT HOW?!" He said frantically. Sakura just looked at him strangely, unable to recognize him. The hood of his blue overcoat with tan stripes covered his face. He was about as tall as Syaoran, maybe a little taller. Sakura looked frightened. "Ummm… sorry, but do I know you know you?" He was silent for a moment. "…oh, of course, how silly of me… monster." He ripped off his hood.  
  
"TOUYA!"  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, what did you think? Touya's back! I guarantee you'll see more moments like this throughout, with characters returning… but some won't… 


	13. Touya's Story

1.1 Chapter 13  
  
Touya's face looked both ecstatic and confused all at once. "IT REALLY IS YOU, SAKURA!" He calmed down a bit. "Sakura, it really is you… but how? You died seven years ago! They found your body—" "Next to mine, right?" Syaoran stepped forward. Touya stood there in silence for a moment. Suddenly, he broke out in a rage. "YOU! IT WAS YOU, WASN'T IT! YOU KIDNAPPED SAKURA AND KEPT HER WITH YOU AWAY FROM ME FOR SEVEN YEARS! AND THEN YOU MURDERED TWO INOCENT KIDS TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU AND HER WERE DEAD!" Syaoran turned bright red in anger as a vein popped on his forehead. Touya turned towards Sakura. "THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED ISN'T IT! Huh?" He said just before he noticed Sakura about ready to attack. She jumped towards him and kicked him as hard as she could in the shins with her high heels. He fell onto the floor, hugging his knee in pain. "SYAORAN DIDN'T KIDNAP ME! HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO ME! GET OVER IT!" She screamed in rage. As soon as Touya regained his sense, he got up, limping on the leg she kicked. "Fine! I get it… but after seven years, you're still a monster, only a little bigger. And I can honestly say I haven't missed your stomping on my foot." Syaoran spoke up. "Look, we weren't killed, kidnapped, or anything." Touya looked at him confused. "What do you mean? I thought someone had gotten you that day, when Sakura was poisoned. Speaking of that, how did you survive? I thought that someone, originally Syaoran, had poisoned you. Then I thought he did something terrible to you and had an accident of some kind in the woods where he was killed." Sakura replied, with the color returning to her face, "Well, Mia cured me of the poison." She pointed to Mia looking on from the table in awe, along with the rest of the mages. "And she and Tomoyo told us that they could take us into the future and we could defeat Sadin." Touya looked astonished. "You mean you really have magical powers, Sakura?" "Well, not just me, Syaoran too." Touya thought to himself for a few seconds. "So, you mean that day when I found you in the basement covered in blood…" "It wasn't really a burglar. It was a minion of Sadin trying to steal my powers. But me and Syaoran are not the only ones with magic. I can see you, Tomoyo, and everyone else have learned a few tricks." Touya looked down at his mage robe. "Well, we have to keep powerful enough to keep those men and women in tuxedos away." Mia stood up. "Please, let us continue with this after a feast. There will be time for this later."  
  
They agreed and sat down to a delicious meal.  
  
As soon as they finished eating, Mia signaled them from a doorway in the side of the hall. "Come on, it is time for a briefing on your mission ahead." She said in a serious tone. They walked into a brightly lit room, very similar to the hall where they feasted, but about 1/50 the size and covered in maps, paintings of tuxedos and mages, and papers. Mia was standing over a large table of marble with a foreign map spread out. Sakura asked, "Ummm… Mia? What is all this?" Mia looked up. "This is my briefing room. I keep track of our enemies here. Sadin's minions are always on the move. With this map, I track their locations and make sure we're safe." Syaoran looked at the map and didn't recognize it. "Ummm… Mia? I don't recognize wherever this is. What is this?" "It's Japan. Just as Sadin has modified it so that he could assemble the shrines in places that normal people would never be able to get to. Here's where they are:  
  
The first shrine is a forest shrine. It is located just in the forest directly west of this village. This should be your first target.  
  
The second shrine is located on top of a snow peaked mountain just north of the forest. It is now the largest mountain in Japan. It's protected by heavy snow.  
  
Northeast of the mountain shrine is the fire shrine. It is located on the top of a fiery volcano.  
  
The fourth shrine is located under the ocean to the east of that volcano.  
  
Lastly, the last shrine you'll visit after you have destroyed the rest is right above this village. It is located on a sky rift. High winds keep it there.  
  
Any questions?" She smacked a stick against the shrines on the map.  
  
Syaoran and Sakura looked blankly at her for a minute. Sakura finally spoke up, still looking baffled. "Did you say, on top of a snowy mountain? And volcano? And you're expecting us to do this alone?" "Well, yeah! It should be easy for the two of you! You're the most powerful warriors around! I'm sure you can do it."  
  
A sweat drop rolled down their heads. "So Sakura… what do you think?" Syaoran asked reluctantly. "Umm… I don't think we have much of a choice. It's either that or let Sadin rule the world. And he'd probably kill us and everyone in the process… It sounds like a suicide mission, but it's suicide to stay here too… I guess we have no choice…" "Alright, we'll do it Mia." Syaoran answered. Mia's face lit up. "Oh, I knew you would! I'll go tell everyone the good news!" And she ran out the room. A few moments later, Touya walked in. "Now, let's get back to what we were saying before. How did you get here?" Sakura answered back, "We traveled through one of Sadin's time portals. Tomoyo and Mia said if we can defeat Sadin, time would revert back to before Sadin intervened with history those seven years before. And we just accepted the mission." Touya's face turned red. "WHAT?! There is no way I'm letting my sister go on some suicide mission to save the world! Especially with that brat! I don't want to even think about the moves he'll make on you… probably thinks you're his girlfriend." Syaoran glared at him. "I'm not her boyfriend! And we have to go! If we don't the entire world is doomed!" "I don't care! We have an entire army of mages! What can you two do?! If dad were here, he'd agree with me."  
  
Sakura's face turned white. "Did… did you say IF dad were here?!" Touya was silent. He couldn't stand to look her in the eyes. "So I take it no one told you two about your families." They shook their heads. Syaoran asked, "What do you mean by our families?"  
  
"It was seven years ago… that night you disappeared… we spent a week looking for you… then we found those bodies that we thought belonged to you two…" He started to cry. Sakura became scared, she had never seen him cry before in his life. "Dad was completely devastated… he couldn't bear the thought of you dead… a week later, that's when Sadin began his horrific attack… Dad couldn't bear to live the rest of his life thinking you were dead… and he let those damned demons kill him…" Sakura's eyes filled with tears. She hugged Touya and burst out in tears. Touya looked at Syaoran. "And your family… all of your relatives in Hong Kong… your mother, sisters, and others… they heard about your death and immediately flew over. They were arriving the same day as Sadin's invasion began… the plane they were in was shot down… there were no survivors…" Syaoran stared blankly into space for a few seconds. His eyes filled with tears. He grabbed Sakura and hugged her as hard as he could and burst into tears as well. His mother and sisters were dead. He would never see them again. They cried for about five minutes without stopping. Their faces were bright red. They choked on their tears. Even Touya was crying mildly, remembering those horrible years.  
  
Suddenly there was an explosion that knocked everyone over. The three of them ran into the main hall, where they saw Kero and Yue. "KERO! YUE! WHAT HAPPENED?" Sakura screamed across the hall. Yue flew up. "It's Sadin's army! Hundreds of those men and women in tuxedos! They're here! They demand the mages hand you and Syaoran over to them!"  
  
To be continued…  
  
Next chapter, the battle begins, and the leader of the demons appears… So what did you think? Was that chapter too sad? Syaoran's sisters, Syaoran's mother, and Sakura's dad… are all dead. They only have each other now… 


	14. The Battle to Protect the Galactic Heroe...

1.1 Okay, another new chapter is up! I'm finishing chapter 24 today. And to answer a question in the reviews, yes, I did rip off the ideas of Shrines from Zelda. That's the biggest flaw. I rip off too many things. Take chapter 24, for example, which I'm writing today. It easily rips off James Bond, Metal Gear Solid, and the like. I take some character names too. (In upcoming chapters, expect names like Vincent [Final Fantasy VII], Seifer [Final Fantasy VIII], Mihoshi [Tenchi Universe], and things like that. Not to mention Mia is the name of a character from Golden Sun.) I wish I could come up with original names.  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Chapter 14  
  
"Well, we aren't going to give them up!" Mia screamed out as she and Tomoyo ran towards Sakura, Syaoran, Kero, Yue, and Touya. "Damn straight." Touya added. "There is no way those pigs are kidnapping my sister! Not without a fight!"  
  
There was panicking all around them. Mages of both types ran about in chaos. Touya climbed on top of a nearby table and screamed at the top of his lungs, "HOLD IT!" And all of the mages ceased and walked closer to him. "Alright, now that I have your attention, everyone knows their battle stations! Full scale lock down! We are under attack! Get with your squadron leaders, and move out!" He threw his fist in the air and the mages saluted him and reached into their robes and dresses and pulled out their staffs and formed in line behind Tomoyo and Mia. Black Mages followed Tomoyo, and Blue Mages followed Mia. Touya, Tomoyo, and Mia ran for a nearby closet before departing with their groups. They had special staffs that resembled scepters that Kings and Queens carried. After all the mages had left to the surface, Sakura, Syaoran, Yue, Kero, and Touya were left alone.  
  
Sakura asked Touya, "Hoe… what just happened?" Touya looked at her. "We're under attack, of course. But we're not about to hand you over to them. Whatever they want, it can't be good. And as tempting as it, I'm not even going to hand Syaoran over either." Syaoran looked half angry, half relieved. "I think Sakura means, why were all those mages following Tomoyo and Mia?" "Because we are the leaders of the clan. We've practiced for something like this for years. Tomoyo is the leader of the Black Mages. She'll lead the counter attack. Mia is the leader of the Blue Mages. She'll help put up a magic shield around our base so all of their magic is useless against us. And she also leads the healers who take care of injured soldiers. And I'm the general. I watch over both of them. That's why we have these special staffs, to signify our rank and it increases our powers." Yue spoke up. "This will be no easy battle. There must be hundreds of those demons." Kero replied, "I doubt we can hold a shield up very long. It would be hard enough to hold it that long even if they weren't attacking the shield. This is going to be a brutal battle." Syaoran spoke up, "Then it looks like we are in for a tough fight." Touya glared angrily at him. "WE?! There s no way we are going to let you and Sakura fight! You could be easily killed! I'm not going to let that happen!" Sakura looked angrily. "Well, we can't just sit here knowing that our friends are fighting!" Kero added, "And with their power, I think we might have a chance." Touya turned his back to all of them. "Look, I'm the general here. I don't care what you think. We-" He turned back around to see they were all gone, as well as the back packs full of supplies. A sweat drop rolled down his head. He ran towards an exit screaming. "GET BACK HERE, MONSTER!"  
  
Meanwhile, Sakura, Syaoran, Yue, and Kero climbed out a secret opening on top of the hill the base was built into. They peered over the top of the hill, hugging the ground. They had a few of the battlefield. The mages were garrisoned at the foot of the mountain, beside their houses, crates, barrels, trees, anything they could. They had their staffs raised. Tomoyo was standing on a rooftop with her hand in the air, waiting to give the signal to attack. The army of demons was huge. Sakura couldn't see the end of it, despite the fact it was now the middle of the day. It seemed to go on forever. They were marching towards the village from the cemetery. They stopped about a hundred feet from the village. There appeared to be a leader. She was a young woman with fiery red hair, unlike the rest, she was wearing silver body armor that covered her entire body, except her face and hair. She said quietly to herself, but all of the mages and Sakura, Syaoran, Kero, and Yue could hear her clearly. It was obviously some sort of psychic power.  
  
1.3.1.1 "The heroes… surrender them to us and you shall live… maybe…"  
  
Syaoran growled. "They can't do this… come on Sakura!" They stood up and slid down the side of the dirt hill in front of them to the ground below, Yue and Kero close behind. Tomoyo screamed out, "NEVER! WE'LL SOONER DIE! YOU SHOULD SURRENDER! LEGEND SAYS THEY WILL DEFEAT SADIN!"  
  
"If that's how you want it…but I fear you are the ones who will be defeated… ATTACK!" This mysterious armor-clad raised her sword, and her army charged forth. Tomoyo pointed towards the approaching enemy and also yelled, "ATTACK!" And with that, the fierce battle began. The Blue Mages focused their power and a light blue protective barrier filled the air around them. All the magic the tuxedos fired at them disappeared on contact with the shield. The Black Mages used their staffs to conjure up spells. Balls of fire, thunder bolts, blocks of ice, they all flew through the barrier unhindered and smashed into the army. The enemy was dropping like flies, but for every enemy that fell, there were two more to deal with. Tomoyo and Mia conjured up massive spells. Tomoyo made fists, but extended her index and middle fingers. She crossed her hands and but them over her face. She began to chant an unintelligible mantra and concentrated so hard sweat poured from her face. She through her hands forward, and the sky darkened. A giant rock in a spherical shape came crashing down, destroying at least 50 demons. But it tired Tomoyo out and she climbed down off the roof the rest for a minute. Mia did the same thing, but instead of summoning a giant rock, she reversed the army's attacks. Arrows, magic spells, rocks, anything the demons threw at them stopped in mid air. Then the objects turned around and flew back at the demons, killing many of them. Mia collapsed in sweat afterwards and rested. The rest of the mages continued their attacks. But it seemed futile. There were so many of them, they couldn't kill them all.  
  
Then things went from bad to worse. The leader of the demons rose into the air. She held her hands in front of her. A blew beam attacked the barrier, destroying it instantly. The mages were open to attack.  
  
Syaoran unsheathed his sword. "C'mon, Sakura! We've gotta do something!" Sakura summoned the Clow Staff and replied, "Let's go!" They ran ahead to the front line. There must have still been a hundred demons left, despite the mages efforts. They braced for impact, when a shower of energy attacked the armies, followed by flames. Yue and Kero were overhead. They were raining down attacks on their enemies. They dive bombed down and began a melee of attacks, fighting left and right. Kero yelled out in the brawl, "SAKURA! SYAORAN! GET THE LEADER! IF YOU KILL HER, I THINK THE REST OF HER DEMONS WILL PERISH TOO!" "SWORD CARD!" Sakura summoned her sword, and Syaoran readied his blade and they eyed the leader still on the hill. She realized their plan and flew into the forest where the first shrine was. They followed her close behind. They chased her for a few minutes in the woods when they became fatigued.  
  
Syaoran and Sakura sat down beside a tree. Syaoran spoke out while panting, "Damn, she's fast. I can't run any longer. I don't even know where she is." Sakura looked around. "Not to sound worried, but I don't even know where we are!" Syaoran looked around himself as well. "…You're right, Sakura. I can't tell where we are. It's too dark and the forest is too dense. But we might as well as rest here for a minute." He reached into his leather backpack that he was carrying from the base. "Let's see if we have anything of use in here… food," he grabbed an apple for him and Sakura and began eating it while he searched through it. "…Outfits from Tomoyo, figures that's what she'd pack, a tent…"  
  
Suddenly there was a large explosion behind them. Sakura and Syaoran jumped to the side. "What the hell was that?!" Sakura questioned. "I have no idea… wait! Look up there! It's her! Run for it!" Indeed, the demon leader was hovering overhead, with balls of energy in her hands. They grabbed their equipment and ran. They had no idea where to, but they had no choice. There were explosions rocking the entire area behind them. They had no idea how long they could keep it up. Suddenly, Syaoran tripped over a low root on the ground. He watched the leader hover overhead. She gave him an evil grin as she powered up a blast that would surely kill him. She threw it at him.  
  
Syaoran could hear his heart beating. Even if he could get up, an explosion that big would kill him before he could run away. Even the shield card couldn't hold a blast like that. He was doomed…  
  
"DASH CARD!"  
  
The next thing Syaoran heard was a loud explosion behind him. He had covered his eyes. He felt himself traveling at high speeds. "Am… am I dead?" "No, you're alive, for the moment." "Huh?!" He opened his eyes. Sakura was holding him in her arms, traveling at extreme speeds through the woods. The Dash Cards doing, obviously. Syaoran had been saved. The villain was a mile behind when they entered a clearing. It appeared to once be the courtyard of a castle. But now it was deteriorated into a jungle. Sakura set him down. Syaoran blushed and looked at her in her shimmering emerald eyes. "Thanks, Sakura." Sakura smiled. "Hey, you rushed me to the hospital, so I'm repaying another favor." They looked up. There, at the end of a small pond was what appeared to be a small statue of a devil holding a bowl. Light was shining from it.  
  
"Syaoran! It's the shrine! All we have to do is put the magic reversing stones Tomoyo gave us in there, and this place will be destroyed!" She grabbed the bag of stones from her backpack and headed towards the pond. But just before she reached it, the leader of the demons dropped out of the sky, sword drawn in front of them.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. It's time to die!"  
  
To be continued…  
  
Next chapter: The big battle with the leader of the army! It is a full chapter of fighting! (With a little hint of subtle romance added in.) I'll update tomorrow. Please review! Arigotou! 


	15. Sakura vs. Syaoran?

Let me answer a few questions in the reviews:  
  
First of all, no, I won't have "sages" like in Zelda: OoT. The purpose of these shrines is for Sakura and Syaoran to annihilate them, not rescue someone in them. But like Zelda, each shrine will have a "boss" and there will be "side quests" sometimes between shrines.  
  
Second of all, No, sadly, Fujitaka and Syaoran's sisters won't be coming back… as far as I know. They're dead. But there are some more characters, like Meilin and Eriol, that haven't appeared. Were they killed? Captured? Are they even in the story? Who knows? (Besides me, that is. ^^)  
  
I hope that answered any questions.  
  
Chapter 15  
  
Syaoran stepped in front of Sakura, as if to protect her, and drew his sword. "I'm not going to let stop us. We're going to destroy you, this shrine, and Sadin." Syaoran said. Sakura stepped forward from behind him. "Me and Syaoran aren't about to let you and Sadin destroy the universe!" The demon leader raised her sword, pointed it at Sakura, and laughed. "Who said we are going to destroy the universe? A little girl like yourself may not realize it, but we're SAVING the universe!" Sakura growled. "Liar! You want nothing more than to rule everything! You only want to kill and rule!" The leader grew impatient. "I am Rosaria, leader of the armies who will save all of the worlds in the universe from themselves! I would not expect a couple of brats like yourselves to understand." Syaoran asked, "What do you mean, 'save them from themselves?'" Rosaria grinned. "It's quite obvious, really. Civilization will one day destroy itself. War, famine, pestilence, all can be prevented, but civilization refuses to change. When we have control of the world, we will bring an end to it all! We seek not universal domination, but universal peace!" Sakura looked angry. "LIES! I know of your plans… this is not the way to end hatred! You are only making things worse, not better! We won't let you continue." Rosaria growled. "Fine. If you are not part of the solution, you are the problem. And I always fix any problem I see. So have at you!" She put her short sword in her left hand, and drew a long sword from the sheath on her back. She twirled them in her hands like a connoisseur. "You know, there have been stories going around that these shrines were built because either we had the cards already, or we knew where they were. But the truth is, we knew you had traveled to the future. We just figured, 'hey, why not keep building so when they get here, we kill 'em and be ready to use the shrines instantly?'"  
  
Sakura made the first move.  
  
"JUMP CARD!"  
  
A pair of small angel wings appeared on the heels of her shoes. She leapt towards Rosaria and threw another card in the air as Syaoran charged towards their opponent with his sword drawn.  
  
"SWORD CARD!"  
  
Sakura and Syaoran landed a few feet in front of Rosaria at the same time and both took a swing at her and continued a combination of swings and jabs. But Rosaria was quick. She nimbly dodged each blow. She jumped back about ten feet and readied her swords. "My turn." She charged forward. She began a flurry of strikes, but Sakura and Syaoran blocked each offensive move she made at them with their swords. Syaoran saw an opening at one point and took it. He ducked under one slash that Sakura then blocked. He swung and hit Rosaria in the side of the gut and kicked her in the stomach, sending her tumbling back to the ground.  
  
They smiled, looking at Rosaria lying motionless face-first on the ground. "Yay! You did it Syaoran!" Syaoran blushed. "No, WE did it. If you hadn't blocked that last shot, she would've recovered and I wouldn't have been able to— WHAT THE?!" Syaoran and Sakura gasped as Rosaria stood up slowly and drew her swords again.  
  
"How the hell did she survive that?!" Syaoran asked completely shocked. "I hit her right in the side!" Rosaria smiled, with her brown red shot eyes. "My armor is specially made to be light enough to allow me to move as fast as if I weren't wearing it, but strong enough to withstand any physical attack. But what is more surprising to me is how well you two young brats fight. Your fighting experience is well beyond your years. Especially when you consider seven of those years were spent in a time portal."  
  
Sakura stepped forward and gloated, "That's because when we work together, we're unstoppable!" An idea came into Rosaria's mind. "Is that so? You two really are unbeatable when you work together?" Syaoran added, "That's right. So why don't you just give up now?" Rosaria made an evil cackle. "Why would I do that? Especially when I'm about to win?" Syaoran and Sakura charged at her, ready to destroy her, when Rosario rose into the air above them. Syaoran screamed at her, "Come back and fight, coward!"  
  
"A coward? Not bloody likely. I just happen to know your weakness. Prepare for the ultimate irony, when you destroy yourselves, trying to protect your precious world that would destroy itself!" Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other puzzlingly. "What did she mean by that Sakura?" "I have no idea."  
  
Rosaria spread her arms, and concentrated. A stream of darkness flew from her and encased Syaoran. Syaoran let out a scream and Sakura could see him grabbing his head, as if he were being attacked. "SYAORAN! SYAORAN HANG ON! Oh man, oh man, I've got to do something…" Suddenly the shroud of black magic disappeared, and Syaoran stood up, with his back towards Sakura. He didn't say anything. His body seemed lifeless, but he was alive. Sakura ran to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Syaoran, I'm glad you're safe!" No response. "Syaoran?" Syaoran stood there briefly, not even facing her. He just stood there, as if he didn't even acknowledge she was there. Suddenly he turned and threw a fist at Sakura's face, scratching the side of her lips.  
  
"S-S-Syaoran?! What are you doing?!" He didn't answer, he just jumped in the air and tried to kick her in the gut. She jumped back, and Syaoran landed in a crouching position with his face to the ground. Meanwhile, Rosaria floated to a nearby branch of a dead tree and watched, smiling evilly throughout everything. Syaoran looked up at Sakura. His face was lifeless. He showed no emotion at all. But what scared Sakura the most was his eyes. His pupils had completely disappeared. They were all white. It suddenly hit Sakura what was happening. "Oh dear God… Rosaria… she's invaded Syaoran's mind and is forcing him to do this!" Syaoran rose and charged at her. She didn't know what to do. She had to defend herself, but she couldn't hurt Syaoran.  
  
"SHIELD!"  
  
A familiar aura formed around her, as the shield card protected her. Syaoran tried, but none of his kicks or punches could break Sakura's shield. But she was not safe for long. Syaoran took his sword and held it behind him. He began to chant a spell, similar to the one Rosaria used to put him in this state, and his sword glowed. He held it over head, and let it fly, smashing Sakura's Shield into oblivion, which sent Sakura flying into an ivy-covered wall. "Ugh… Syaoran… I'm sorry… but I can't do anything…" A small amount of blood flowed from the side of her lip, where his punch scratched her. Syaoran stood in front of her. She couldn't make out his face, since he was standing in front of the sun, which was already partially blocked by the heavy fog. But she could see he was raising his sword, and he jumped into the air, screaming some kind of battle cry. She covered her face, knowing that she couldn't defend his attack. A few seconds later, there was silence. Sakura took her hands away from her face. "Hoe?" She saw Syaoran's blade mere inches from her face. Syaoran was trembling.  
  
"What the hell is that boy doing?! Destroy her! Chop her head off and bring it to me!" Rosaria screamed from her tree.  
  
"NO! I… I can't do it! I can't kill Sakura! I CAN'T DO IT!"  
  
Syaoran turned his sword around and held it at his own neck, like he was ready to commit suicide. "I'll sooner slit my own throat than slit Sakura's!" Sakura sat there in shock. "INSOLENT FOOL! I COMMAND YOU! I ALONE DECIDE YOUR ACTIONS! KILL THAT BITCH! NOW!" Rosaria screamed with rage in her face. Syaoran moved the sword closer to his throat. "Syaoran! Don't do it!" Sakura jumped up. She had to do something. She grabbed the sword from Syaoran's grasp and threw it to the ground. She realized something. Rosaria said her armor could absorb any physical attack. She never mentioned magic attacks!  
  
"THUNDER!"  
  
A surge of lightning flew from Sakura's staff and shocked Rosaria. She was screaming in pain. Light from the electricity lit every corner of the ex- court yard. The lightning was flowing through Rosaria's metallic armor, intensifying the attack. A bright light lit up the area, temporary blinding Sakura. And in an instant, it ended. A chunk of empty armor fell to the ground where Rosaria once stood. Then, even the armor fell to pieces and disappeared. All that was left was a single glowing stone. It was shimmering a bright crimson red. Sakura picked it up and put it in her backpack, and left it there. She ran towards Syaoran, who had collapsed on the ground. "Syaoran! Syaoran, are you alright?" She picked up his head, and their eyes met. His pupils had returned. He was back to normal. But he quickly turned his head away and was silent. "…" Sakura asked, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Syaoran still didn't look her in the eyes. "…I almost killed you back there. You've saved my life twice since we've gotten here, and I repay you how?! By almost slicing your head off?! I'm ashamed of myself… I'm weak… I'm pathetic… I don't deserve to be around you… Look, I've even cut you…" He reached out and wiped away the blood from the small scratch. Sakura was silent for a moment. "It's alright. The scratch isn't that deep. Probably won't even leave a mark. But it's not your fault. Rosaria forced you to try and kill me. And I can't think of anyone else who would be strong enough to resist psychic power to save someone… C'mon, let's finish this job." Sakura reached into her backpack and pulled out a magic absorbing stone. They walked over to the devil statue and placed the stone in the bowl it was holding. All the light radiating from the statue was absorbed into the stone. The head of the statue rolled off, and the rest came tumbling down. Sakura and Syaoran ran as the whole place began to crumble to the ground. Their first shrine was destroyed and lying in a pile of rubble. The heavy fog lifted, and they could see all around them.  
  
"Where to next, Sakura?" Sakura looked up. "There!" She pointed to behind him. There, at the base of the forest was a giant mountain that reached above the clouds. "Mia said the second shrine was a giant mountain at the base of the forest. So let's go!"  
  
And they walked off towards their newest goal, one probably even tougher than the first.  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, what did you think of Sakura fighting Syaoran? I kinda liked it. You knew Syaoran wouldn't be able to kill Sakura, right? You'll see a few chapters that are nothing but big fights. This is only the first of the shrines… 


	16. The Frigid Mountain

Okay, new chapter! And answers to your questions:  
  
First, Sakura doesn't know Eriol, but he knows her… maybe he'll show up, maybe he won't. Maybe he'll be an important character, maybe he'll play a small role, maybe he won't show up, or he may even be dead. Not even I know…  
  
And don't worry about running out of chapters: I'm writing new chapters as often as possible. I'm finishing chapter 25 tonight, so there will never be a slowdown!  
  
I just never knew my fic would be so popular. Arigotou to all that reviewed!  
  
Chapter 16  
  
"ACHOO!" Sakura sneezed. "Man, how cold is it up here?" She questioned. They were ascending a steep side of the mountain. Though they were only a couple hundred meters up, it was already covered in snow. Mia told them before the mountain was protected by a magic spell that constantly pounded the mountain with blizzards to ward off anyone who would try to get up the side of the mountain. And the spell worked quite well. "-20° C. At least that's what the thermometer Tomoyo packed for us says." Syaoran answered.  
  
"-20°?! I'm not sure how long I can keep this up! We'll freeze to death if we don't find a good place to spend the night! We still have about 300-400 meters to go, I'd say. Though at least these winter outfits Tomoyo gave us are helping a little." Tomoyo had packed for them a special outfit specifically designed for blizzards, though it was still freezing. They wore them over their normal outfits to keep extra warm. Sakura wore small white boots with pink angel wings sticking out the back, similar to the Jump Card. She also had bright pink snow pants, but they were covered over by a long tan overcoat, which concealed a pink and red striped sweater. She wore a black scarf around her neck and white and pink earmuffs. Syaoran, similarly wore a new outfit. He had dark black boots and leather pants with a brownish-red studded belt. He had a white sweater and a black leather coat with gray and white feathers around the neck. He didn't have earmuffs or a scarf, but he had dark black gloves.  
  
Syaoran added, "Yeah, I'd say if she didn't give us these outfits and Mia didn't cover these with that magic spell that keeps them more cold-proof, we'd have literally frozen to death about a 100 meters or so back." Sakura grumbled, "Still, I'd like to just be home right now instead of on this freezing rock… Hey! Is that a village up ahead?!" Smoke was rising in the air over the hill. Syaoran stood stunned in disbelief. "I see it, but I don't believe it. How can there be a civilization of any kind anywhere around here?!" They ran ahead, hoping to get a better view. From the top of a mound of snow, they saw a very small village. There were about 20 small houses made out of pinewood. They made a dashed for the buildings. Maybe they could warm up, get directions, anything. There were a few men and women dressed warmly walking around with heavy loads. A few children played in the snow. Sakura screamed, "Hey! Over here! Does anyone know where we can warm up around here?" Syaoran screamed as well, "We traveling up the mountain and would like a place to rest!" But their reaction wasn't anything like they'd expect. Everyone looked at them quickly and dropped whatever they were doing and scrambled for their homes. They stood just outside the village, wondering why they all ran. A sweat drop rolled down their heads. "That was weird." Sakura thought. Syaoran yelled out, "Ummm… Hello? Can someone help us?" Syaoran turned around for a second to see if maybe there were something behind them that scared them off. There was just snow. "AHH!" Sakura screamed.  
  
Syaoran quickly turned around. "What's the mat—" He turned to see a long sword about 10 centimeters from his nose. At the end of the sword stood a hulking man with black hair, about the age of 24. He had dark brown eyes, darker than Syaoran. He had a rough face, like he hadn't shaved in a few days. He growled. "DEMONS! Leave this village, or face my wrath. For seven years, you demons have stayed away from our peaceful village, and I intend to keep it that way. Leave now!" Sakura and Syaoran shivered in coldness and in fear. Syaoran mustered to say, "We're not demons!" "LIES!" The stranger screamed. "I know of your tricks. Do not try to fool me." Sakura replied, "Really! We're not! We're traveling up the mountain and we just need a place to rest!" The stranger growled, "I grow tired of your lies. No one comes up this mountain. There is nothing but snow." "There's a shrine on top of this mountain. We need to get there." Syaoran said. The stranger was shocked. "This proves it! You must be demons! Only Sadin's men know of that shrine. And only they would want to go there… I warned you to leave, and you hesitated. Now you must pay! I will put your heads on my wall as trophies!" He swung his sword at Sakura, but Syaoran shoved her to the ground. "Get down, Sakura!" And when Sakura hit the ground, the red stone that Rosaria had dropped rolled out of her backpack. When the stranger saw it, he dropped his blade. Syaoran drew his blade, and was ready to charge. "Wait! I mean you no harm!" He said before Syaoran could charge. "What do you mean, 'no harm?' You just tried to cut off Sakura's head!" Sakura sat up and sighed. "Hoe… First Rosaria, now this guy. Why does it seem like everyone has this fascination in decapitating me and having my head as some kind of trophy?!" She exclaimed sarcastically. The strange man bowed to them. "I am terribly sorry, my friends. But I thought you were Sadin's minions. Come inside, you may warm up and rest here." As they walked down the street, people peered out their windows, saw that the stranger was with them, and walked out and went back to whatever they were doing.  
  
A few minutes later, they were resting with blankets around them sitting in front of a fireplace. "Ahh… so warm… I needed this…" Sakura exclaimed in delight. "I'm glad the two of you enjoy it. I'll make sure you two heroes have enough supplies before you head back down." The stranger said, walking in with two wooden bowls of vegetable soup, some rice, and a set of chopsticks. Syaoran looked at him confused. "What do you mean by trip back down? We still have to climb up to the shrine and destroy it first!" The stranger glared at him like he had three heads. "Are you insane? Didn't you realize how cold it was coming up? Well, it's at least twice as worse up there! Look, I realize you two are the galactic heroes. That gem you had with you," he pointed to Sakura, "it's the Forest Diamond." Syaoran looked at the gem that Sakura was taking out. "Where did you get that?!" Sakura realized he hadn't seen it before. "Rosaria dropped it when I killed her." "The stranger stared at them in shock. "You… defeated ROSARIA the demon leader?! Impossible! If you are that strong… no, even if you are that strong, I can't let you go up the mountain. I know of your quest to defeat Sadin by the legends passed on. But you must find an alternate way to defeat him, since it is impossible to get to the peak of this mountain. I should know. My name is Vincent. I'm the guardian of this village. You see, Sadin has never bothered trying to attack us. We're to far off and too small. Plus, even his troops can't survive up here. But I've trained for these past seven years, when we moved up here. Many died on the way up. But those of us that survived made a village and set up farms for food." Sakura looked confused. "Farms? Up here in all this snow?" "Oh, not in the snow," he replied, "In the caves around here. There are special gems in the caves. Light stones. Their light, combined with the moist soil in the caves let us grow rice and other vegetables perfectly fine. But that's not the point. One day, I learned of the shrine on top of the mountain. It was said the mountain would be better off without it. The freak blizzards would stop, some snow would melt, and we could live like a real village. I was 20 at the time. This was about 4 years ago. I tried to climb to the mountain and reach the shrine to destroy it. But before I even got half way there, a blizzard struck. Not just any blizzard, but the fiercest one I've ever seen. Winds of over 70 miles an hour, hail, extreme cold temperatures of below –40° C, all of it hit at once. I'm surprised I survived. I woke up to find myself back at home in my bed. My father had found out I was missing and found me unconscious from the extreme cold. I survived with no real problems… but my father wasn't as lucky… he… he died a few days later of hypothermia…" Sakura looked down and remembered the untimely death of her own father and began to cry. "What's wrong with her?" Vincent asked. Syaoran tried to comfort her. "It's just that our parents… they were also killed thanks to Sadin…" "I'm sorry to hear that… now you no why I'm not gonna let some kid and his girlfriend journey up that mountain." They both forgot their troubles and looked up in anger. "WE'RE NOT BOYFRIEND AND GIRLFRIEND!" They yelled in chorus. "Hey, hey, sorry, just thought you two would make a cute couple…" They looked at each other and blushed. Vincent knew they liked each other, just that they couldn't admit it. "Well, anyways, promise me you two won't go up that mountain, okay?" They looked at one another and nodded. "Alright." They said. "We'll go down the mountain tomorrow." "Great." Vincent said with a smile. "Okay, I'll go ready your beds. I'm sure you'll find some other way to get to Sadin."  
  
A few minutes later, they were resting in their wooden beds. "Sakura, I can't sleep." "Neither can I." Syaoran sat up. "I mean, there is no other way for us to get to Sadin, right? We've got to get up there without Vincent knowing." "I was thinking the same thing. And we leave the mountain tomorrow. We've got to do something tonight! But… yawn… I'm so tired…" "I am too, Sakura. You'd think as 17 year olds, we'd need less sleep. But we can't let that stop us." Sakura whispered, "We have only one choice. We sneak out tonight without him knowing. I have our backpacks here." Syaoran sighed. "I guess so. And we have no time to lose. Let's go."  
  
A few minutes later, they were climbing out a window of their bedroom. They silently snuck up the side of the hill, ignoring all of the warning signs posted. "Brrr…. It's freezing…" Syaoran said. Sakura added, "Yeah, sneaking out in a snow storm at night up a mountain probably isn't the brightest move, but we have no choice. Hey! I know what to do! FIRE!" Sakura summoned the fire card to fly alongside them and keep them warm. This way, they walked for about 200 meters. But upon reaching that far, a blizzard struck.  
  
It was freezing and dark. Winds picked up into speeds above 40 miles per hour. Large snowflakes obscured their vision. "SAKURA! HOLD ONTO MY HAND! WE GOTTA STICK TOGETHER IF WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT!" But just then, a huge gust of wind sent them tumbling back. Sakura's cold resistant coat, scarf and earmuffs were blown right off her and into the wind. Syaoran managed to hold onto his jacket and keep it on. But Sakura let go of Syaoran's hand to try and grab her coat. But another gust of wind blew in. Syaoran managed to stand, but the Fiery Card blew out, and worse, Sakura was blown out of site. "SAKURA!"  
  
"So… cold… I'm numb… I… I can't feel anything… Syaoran… Syaoran… where are you… I need you… Syaoran… good-bye…"  
  
"SAKURA! SAKURA, WHERE ARE YOU! God Dammit! Where is she! I hope she's alright… SAKURA! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, YELL! GIVE ME A SIGNAL! ANYTHING! PLEASE BE ALRIGHT! Oh dear God… she's gone… It's too cold… and without her coat… she can't survive out here… Vincent was right, we should have stayed there. WHY?! WHY DIDN'T I LISTEN TO HIM! SAKURA IS DEAD AND IT'S MY FAULT!" A tear rolled down his cheek. He ran frantically around, looking for Sakura. He began to burst into tears. He was frantic and panicking. He couldn't leave her here and just go back… but if he stayed here, he would die too. He didn't know what to do, when he tripped over something in the snow, or rather, someone. Sakura.  
  
She was laying face first down in the snow. He turned her over, and put his head to her chest. Her heart was still beating and she was still breathing, but her entire face was turning blue. If she stayed out here much longer, she would die for sure. He couldn't carry her all the way back. She wouldn't make it. They needed shelter. Syaoran got an idea. He carried her over to the side of the mountain and drew his sword. He threw a charm in the air and pushed it against his sword. "FIRE!" And fire dug into the side of the mountain, creating a small cave, but most importantly, shelter from the ice, snow, and wind. He carried her and laid her there on the ground. He took out a blanket from his backpack, which luckily had not been lost, nor hers. And wrapped it around her. She was shivering. She was still blue. It wasn't enough. So he took off his cold resistant coat and his shirt and laid them on top of her. He was freezing, but he was happy that she was warming up. He sat over her, waiting on her. For about a half a hour, she appeared to be warming up, but it still wasn't enough. And he was beginning to freeze too. There was only one thing to do. He didn't have any more blankets, coats or anything for either of them. All he had was himself, and that's what he used. He got into the same blanket and snuggled with Sakura, and wrapped his arms around her. He hoped their body heat would keep them warm. He looked at her well, with her light brown hair flowing onto the frozen ground. She was so incredibly beautiful. He looked at her 17 year- old face and felt happy, and despite the freezing cold, he felt warm inside.  
  
He fell asleep, half naked, hugging onto Sakura… and in some strange way, he enjoyed it.  
  
To be continued…  
  
Well, was that ending a little too sick? I didn't mean for it to sound quite like that when I first wrote it… --' But I'll have more chapters up soon! …But I think it's sweet Syaoran gave Sakura his jacket and shirt in that freezing cold… 


	17. The Ice Shrine

1.1 Well, I have a new chapter here, but not much to say. I think I'll let the story speak for itself. And give Syaoran a chance to explain why he was sleeping with her like that. ^^  
  
Note: Here are a list of things I don't own:  
  
A big screen TV  
  
Any video game company  
  
A car  
  
Card Captor Sakura or any of it's characters.  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Chapter 17  
  
Sakura and Syaoran slept peacefully together through the night. When morning came, the storm had stopped, and light passed into the cave, shining in Sakura's eyes. She stirred for a moment, hugging Syaoran tighter. She opened her eyes and yawned. She sat there, looking at Syaoran's face, still sleeping, with his light brown hair covering some of his features. After a few seconds, it finally dawned upon her where she was and what she was doing. She realized her arms were wrapped around Syaoran's chest, but dared not move, afraid she would wake him. And it was embarrassing enough that she had been sleeping under the same covers, without both of them awake at the same time. Suddenly, Syaoran began to stir. Sakura panicked. But Syaoran quickly stopped. "Phew… that was close…" She whispered, wondering how to get out of this situation. "Huh?" Syaoran heard her whisper, and Syaoran turned over to face her and he opened his eyes. Their noses were touching. Their faces turned bright red, and they stared in each other's eyes for a minute, like they were in a hypnotic trance. They jumped back screaming after a minute. "Yah! Syaoran! What happened?! Why were we sleeping like that?! And where are your clothes?!" She asked, staring at him, while wondering why he had only a pair of pants and his boots on, though I am sure she didn't hate the sight!  
  
Syaoran's face was completely red. He had never been so embarrassed in his life. "It… It's not what you think! Don't you remember last night at all?" He questioned. Sakura thought for a moment. "No, not really… wait… I remember, you told me to hold your hand so we wouldn't get lost, but my coat blew away. I reached to grab it, but I was blown away too… it was freezing. I couldn't stand it. The icy cold wind stung. I wanted to be with—" She blushed deeply, thinking about what she was about to say. "I mean, I uhh… wanted to be home with a nice fire! Yeah! That's it! That's when I passed out!" She said, trying to conceal her true feelings. "I thought I was a goner. I should have been killed out there. What happened?" Syaoran's blushing died down a little. "Well, I found you lying in the snow, half frozen. You needed shelter, or you would have died, so I made this small cave of snow with the fire card to block the snow and wind. But you were still so cold, that the extra blankets wouldn't help that much, so I gave you my shirt and coat to keep you warm. But even that wasn't enough. You needed some extra warmth, and I did too. We had nothing else, so I had to hold on to you so we could heat each other with our own body heat." Sakura blushed and looked away. "Thank… Thanks you Syaoran… you saved my life…" Syaoran smiled. "Like you said before, just repaying the favor." They stood up, and Syaoran put his shirt and coat back on. It wasn't as cold as usual. It was still freezing, at least –10° C, but warmer than usual. They stepped out into the sunlight.  
  
Syaoran noticed something flapping in the wind. There, at the side of a cliff hung Sakura's coat on a dead branch of a tree. He jumped up and grabbed it. "Here, Sakura. You're gonna need that if we're going in there!" He pointed towards the peak of the mountain. Sakura put on her coat, turned, and gasped. He was pointing at a huge temple on the peak of the mountain. It was huge. It resembled ancient Greek temples. It was also made entirely of ice. Giant ice pillars held up a triangular roof. In between the pillars were statues of devils shrieking and laughing. They sent a chill down their spine. Sakura gulped. "That's huge! And I bet it's full of evil spirit and ghosts… I'm not gonna like this, I just know it!" Syaoran sighed. "You're ALWAYS afraid of ghosts and things like that. Let's just get this over with. It won't be that bad. Besides, what could be much worse than nearly freezing to death? And we survived that last night." "I guess you're right, but still, I have a bad feeling about all of this." And they walked towards the shrine, which is only a 100 or so meters away.  
  
Meanwhile, back at the mountain village…  
  
Vincent had just finished waking up and was sipping some tea as he walked over to Sakura and Syaoran's room. "All right you two, time to wake up. We gotta get you guys ready… to…" He dropped his tea on the floor, making the glass shatter. "THEY'RE GONE!" He saw an open window. "OH NO! They must have headed off for the shrine, despite what I said… They may still be alive! I've got to save them!" He grabbed his red suit of armor, his long sword, and ran out of the house heading for the mountain when he noticed something. Stuck on the side of a rock, flapping in the wind was Sakura's black scarf. He picked it up. "Oh no… I must be too late… but I must go anyways!" And he hurried even faster.  
  
Meanwhile, Sakura and Syaoran had just reached the shrine. They peered inside. It was loaded with decorations of demons and devils, but otherwise empty. Everything glimmered because absolutely everything was made of ice. Sakura looked on in fascination. "Wow! It's so beautiful! Syaoran, look at all of this! It's all so pretty… I'm not sure I have the heart to destroy this place." Syaoran glanced around and said, "Well, it is kinda pretty, I'll give you that, but I can feel it. This place is loaded with evil. Something's not right." Sakura glanced at him and a sweat drop rolled down her head. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice that. I really don't wanna have to fight something here." Syaoran looked annoyed. "Well, whether or not you like it, this place is coming down. Look over there; I think that's the main part of the shrine where we are supposed to put the magic absorbing stone." And sure enough, there stood a statue of ice with light gleaming from a bowl the stature was holding. This was a beautiful statue of a woman, floating in the air like the main part of the statue was. The woman had beautiful flowing hair as she held a bowl floating in the air. "C'mon Sakura, let's get this over with. Give me a magic absorbing stone." She handed him one and they walked towards the statue, admiring the statue more, as they got closer. They stopped about a few feet in front of it. "Wow…" Sakura exclaimed. "It really is beautiful. It's a shame it has evil power buried in it. I don't want to waste such perfectly good art.  
  
1.3.1.1 "I'm glad you feel that way, because you aren't going to destroy it!"  
  
"Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" Syaoran demanded as he drew his blade. Out of nowhere, a huge icicle twice the size of Syaoran bursts out of the ground between them and the statue. "What the hell is that?" Sakura asked. She peered into it. There was something moving inside of it. "Syaoran! There's something living in there… what should we do?!"  
  
"That's quite easy… you hand me the Clow Cards… or I take them from your dead bodies…" The icicle shatters and out from it drops a man dressed in armor. He was a huge brawny man, and everything on him was blue. Not blue like when a person stays in the cold for too long, but a light blue like in ice. He had short hair and a muscular looking face.  
  
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am David, Leader of the Ice for Sadin." Syaoran stared at him for a moment like he had said something that didn't make any sense. "Don't you need an army to be considered a 'Leader?'" David grinned. "Ordinarily, yes, but I can control something else. Observe." He raised his hands, and two icicles rose from the ground and shattered. In their place stood two curved swords of ice. He grabbed them and pointed one at each of them. "So, what do you say? Give up the cards or see how sharp my swords really are?" Syaoran pulled his sword back. "I choose option three. We kill you and lay this temple to waste!" He leapt forward and in one swift movement cut off both of David's arms that shattered on the floor. Syaoran grinned. "Well, that was easy. Okay Sakura, burn him with the Fire Card!" David cackled. "I was hoping you'd say that!" Suddenly, his arms grew back, swords and all. "As you can clearly see, I am invincible. But if that's your choice, oh well. Now it's time to find out my strength!" He jumped forwards, slashing at Syaoran every chance he got. Sakura could see that this was going to be tough. David was so fast on offense that Syaoran couldn't even get one swing in. Sakura reached for the Fire Card and threw it in the air.  
  
"FIRE C—"  
  
Just as Sakura was about to finish saying it's name, a beam of ice shot Sakura in the hands. Her hands were stuck in a block of ice with the staff. Sakura gasped. She tried frantically to break free, but she couldn't. The Fire Card floated to the floor, as Sakura smashed her hands onto a nearby pillar to try and break free, but to no avail. She was stuck. And things weren't looking well for Syaoran. He just couldn't hit David no matter how hard he tried. He got an idea. He walked backwards toward a pillar as David swung at him. When they reached it, Syaoran ducked, and David's ice blades were stuck. As he tried to get them lodged free, Syaoran swung and his head came clean off. But before he could celebrate, his head grew right back. "Heh heh, little man, haven't you learned anything? I'm invincible as long as I'm still have some part of me in one piece!" He said gloatingly. Just then, with her hands still frozen, Sakura got an idea. "Syaoran! Hold up your sword! She turned the Fire Card over with her foot and swung at it with her staff.  
  
"FIRE CARD! POSSESS SYAORAN'S SWORD!"  
  
The Fire Spirit rose from Sakura's staff and flew right into Syaoran's sword. It began to glow a bright red. "Heh! You think a little magic will help you? Well here, get through this!" A series of icicles rose in a line, heading straight towards Syaoran, as sharp as spikes. He swung right at them, and they melted on contact. He then sprinted towards David, who raised his swords in defense. But that proved to be in vain when Syaoran's sword sliced right through them, and right through David, who melted slowly, and a blue light shined from his body. When the blue light died down, a blue shining stone like the one Rosaria dropped. He picked it up and walked over to Sakura. "We did it! Now all that's left is to bring this place down!" Sakura lifted her arms to show she was still frozen. "Would you mind doing the honors? I'm still stuck." "Alright." He picked up the magic absorbing stone and walked over to the shrine's statue. He placed it in and the light was absorbed into it like before. The statue fell to the ground and shattered. A few moments later, the fragments melted, and the whole temple shook. "Come on Sakura!" They ran out only to have the entire temple crash down seconds later. Then, the entire shrine melted, sending a wave of water at them, but not so much to knock them down. "Two down, three to go." Syaoran said. And then the ice around Sakura's hands melted, and she shook her wrists in relief. "Syaoran, you were awesome! You're such a good swordsman!" "Hey," Syaoran said while blushing, "it was nothing. It was your Fire Card that let me beat him." "But you are the one who beat him! I was stuck trying to get those icy handcuffs off."  
  
Then something miraculous happened. All of the snow around them began to melt. Everywhere the snow just vanished into thin air. They sat down under a dead tree and watched it. The ground was finally exposed. But that's when something else happened. The entire mountain was suddenly covered in beautiful plants. The grass grew instantly, beautiful flowers of every color sprouted, and the tree they sat against became full of beautiful cheery blossoms. One floated down and landed in Sakura's hair. Sakura grabbed it and stared at in fascination. "It's so beautiful." Syaoran stared at it, then stared into Sakura's emerald eyes. "Yeah, they are beautiful…"  
  
"HEY! YOU TWO! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"  
  
"Who's there?" Sakura asked, breaking up the moment. "It's me, Vincent!" He ran up to them and sighed in relief. "Thank God you're okay. What's going on? I thought I told you two to leave this mountain! And then you sneak out, I find Sakura's scarf on the ground, making me think you're dead, and then all of the snow melts! What happened up here?" They told him the entire story of what happened. "That was pretty reckless and stupid of you two. You both almost froze to death I warned you… but I must thank you. Now, the snow is all gone and we can live like a normal village! I know! We shall hold a feast today to celebrate to see you off!" The sound of food was good to them, since they hadn't eaten since the day before. "All right!" Sakura screamed.  
  
They walked down the mountain and had a giant feast from the grateful townsfolk that lasted the whole day, before they departed once again on their journey.  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, two shrines down, three to go. At this point, not to ruin the surprise, is when some of the side adventures begin. Be prepared for some old friends, and cameo appearance by a famous villain… 


	18. The Fortress in the Woods

I know this chapter is shorter than usual, but I promise the next couple will be longer.  
  
Note: If a thief were to rob my house, he wouldn't get away with CCS or any of the characters, because I don't own them!  
  
Chapter 18  
  
"So, where is our next destination, Sakura?" Syaoran asked. They were sitting in their campsite they had set up in a small grass field at the base of the mountain. It took about a day to walk down the mountainside. Syaoran was rolling up their small tent and putting it in his backpack. Sakura was sitting on a small tree stump, looking over a large map Mia had packed for them. "I'm not sure, Syaoran. This map is really complicated, and not that accurate. Japan has changed so much in seven years. I barely recognize it. That mountain village wasn't even on this map. But it looks like the nearest shrine is… let's see… the… AHH!" Syaoran dropped the tent and ran over to her. "What is it?" A sweat drop rolled down her head. "The next shrine is… in the middle of an active volcano…" Syaoran stood silent for a minute, picturing all the molten rock boiling in the crater. "Umm… I hope you mean on the side of a volcano?" Sakura side. "I wish I did." A sweat drop rolled down his head. "That's not the worst part, Syaoran…" "Oh great." Syaoran sighed. "It's at least a three day walk to the volcano, and the entire area between here and there is completely unexplored. For all we know, it's a dead end that we need to walk around. And I'd say we only have two days worth of food." "Is that all?" "Nope. We don't even have a compass. The one we had was lost up on the mountain, so even if we need to go directly northeast of here, I'm not sure where northeast is." Syaoran sighed. "I think Northeast is that way." He pointed. The sun was over there an hour ago, and it's about 10:00 am, so it should be about that way. It would be easier with a compass, but that's the general direction… Alright, I finished packing, let's go." They headed off over the plains, not even sure where they were going.  
  
Two and a half days passed. The entire days were spent walking. They had finally run out of food. There was no sign of civilization anywhere. In fact, there was no life at all. No animals, no humans, no birds, not even any insects. The entire fields and forests they walked through we're completely devoid of any life other than trees and grass. It was enough to send a chill up anyone's spine. Here was an area, perfectly capable of supporting life, and there was nothing.  
  
There was a loud grumbling. "Ugh… Syaoran, are you sure there is no food? I'm starving… I haven't eaten anything all day, and there's no fruit around here. I feel weak…" Syaoran's stomach growled too. "I know, I feel the same way… I can barely move… But what can we do? There's no food anywhere. We probably should have stocked up on more food back at that mountain village." Sakura sighed. "I tried that, but there was no room with all of the outfits Tomoyo packed… and she'd kill me if I threw them away." Suddenly, they sniffed the air. There was a tasty smell. It was coming from the other end of the woods. "Mmm… Syaoran, do you smell that?!" Sakura said, literally starting to drool at the thought of food. "Yeah," Syaoran said as well, "I smell it too… Maybe it's a village! C'mon!" And they charged forward, faster than ever. When they reached the end of the woods, they saw the last thing they wanted. There, standing high and tall was a huge super fortress. It was huge, and made of large gray stones. It must have been 30 feet tall. But they saw what was making the smell. A cart loaded with pies, birds, vegetables and other foods was heading for the metal gate. When it reached it, a couple of tuxedos let them in by raising the gate. "Sakura, we've gotta get in there! We'll starve if we can't get some food!" Sakura charged towards the fortress, when Syaoran grabbed her and dragged her back into the bushes. "What the hell do you think you are doing?! We can't just barge in there!" "I know… but I'm so HUNGRY!" Syaoran rolled his eyes. "I know, I know, but we aren't going to get in that way… SHH! Get down! I think I here someone coming!" They ducked down in the bushes and listened in.  
  
"Ugh… that Sadin is a slave driver… Everyday, it's the same thing. Go out in the morning, kill every sign of life around here, and then come back. I'm sick of it. How 'bout you, Jen?" "Yeah, I know what you mean, Bill…" "Say, how 'bout you and me have a nice big dinner, and spend the night together? Hmm?" "Ooh… that sounds lovely…"  
  
Syaoran looked at Sakura with a mischievous grin. He moved closer through the bushes.  
  
"Huh? Did you hear that?" "Hear what, Bill?" "Oh, it's probably nothing…"  
  
Syaoran leaped from the bushes and choked the couple of demons to the ground and dragged their unconscious bodies into the woods. The demons awoke to find themselves bound, gagged, in the underwear, and tied to a tree. "Heh, don't worry, you two will still spend the night together, just not that way!" Syaoran mockingly remarked as he adjusted the tie on his new tuxedo. "You finished dressing, Sakura?" "Yeah, how do I look?" Sakura walked out wearing a nice-fitting black tuxedo, complete with circular black sunglasses. Syaoran smiled as he put on his own dark sunglasses. "They'll never know the difference." But did you need to choke them down and tie them up? That's sorta cruel…" Syaoran sighed. "Well, did you just expect us to walk up and ask if they would hand over their clothes so we could sneak in and destroy them?" Sakura looked at the ground. "Well you didn't have to gag them…" Syaoran rolled his eyes. "You'll never change Sakura… you even care for the bad guys… just forget it. We should be able to get around anywhere with these. Let's go! We can stock up on food, then take down the entire place from within!" "Alright, but as soon as we get back, we'll un-tie them." Syaoran sighed. "Alright, alright…"  
  
And they walked off towards the fortress, preparing the sabotage of the Tuxedo's hideout!  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, this is the first real side adventure. This part will last a few chapters. But I think it's so kawaii that Sakura didn't want to tie up the villains… 


	19. Inside the Enemy Fortress

So, it's time for Sakura and Syaoran to infiltrate the enemy fortress… and I guarantee you, this chapter will have the most utterly KAWAII (super cute) and romantic moment so far, and possibly of the whole fic! I know you'll love it…  
  
Chapter 19  
  
"Halt! Identify yourselves!" A large gate man said, as he turned around his gatepost. "OH! It's you, Bill, Jennifer. Come on in… I thought something had happened, since you are a little late coming back." Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other, wondering what he meant. The guard opened the squeaky metal gate slowly with a crank next to his station. They walked in and were shocked. The entire area was like a demon boot camp. All around, the tuxedos of every kind were practicing. Some were lifting weights, running around, practicing strong magic attacks, and everything they could to get stronger. Syaoran and Sakura stood in awe for a moment, watching the demons practice. If they continued to train like this, who knows how much stronger their entire army would be? They ducked behind an alley, of a stone building of the same rock as the outer walls, and took off their sunglasses to look at each other with concern and fear on their faces. "How is this possible? How can they train like this… we can't let this happen!" Sakura exclaimed. "I know, I know… this place is like some military training grounds. But I still wonder, why did that security guard call us Bill and Jennifer?" Then he remembered the faces of the two demons, still stuck to a tree. He looked closely at Sakura's face. Sakura blushed, and asked, "Hoe… what are you doing Syaoran?" Syaoran stepped back. I just figured out what he meant. We look almost exactly like those pairs of demons I tied up out there. Except our eyes are different colors. They both have blue eyes. So with these sunglasses on…" "They can't tell the difference. So as long as we wear these and act as they do, they won't suspect a thing." Sakura finished his statement. "Exactly. And if we can move freely, then we can find some weakness of its power, or rather if it has one, and bring this entire place down." Sakura's stomach rumbled and a sweat drop rolled down her head. "Umm, can we get some food first? I'm starving!" Syaoran nodded. "Yeah. Me too. Let's see if we can spot that cart that had all that food first. It should be near the dining hall, or wherever they eat." They flipped their sunglasses on and walked back out.  
  
"Hey! Bill!" A tuxedo hailed over to him. "Bill, where have you been? The meeting is about to start…" Syaoran looked puzzled. "Meeting?" The strange demon looked at him frustratingly. "Don't tell me you forgot… Seifer is holding the meeting today on the plans to expand our operations over in the main hall." Syaoran didn't know what he was talking about, but he tried to play along. "Oh yeah! I remember… my mind has just been slipping." The stranger sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Ever since that spell was put into effect, it's been having strange effects on all of us… Say, speaking of strange…" He said, looking at Sakura. "Why aren't you and Jen holding hands as usual? As the biggest romantics around here, it's kinda disappointing to see you two not always together. Sorta hurts morale. And we're gonna need all the morale to kill those pig heroes." Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other and blushed. Jennifer, or Sakura rather, said, "Oh, we were holding each other's hands… we just… uhh… let go to…" Syaoran quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Ummm… aren't we going to be late for the meeting?" The stranger thought to himself for a moment. "Oh no! You're right! I gotta go!" And with that, the strange man whose name they didn't even know. Sakura blinked. "Who was that?" Syaoran stood in surprise for a moment. "I have no idea. It looks like he's a friend of the guy I tied up. And I wonder what spell he was talking about. Is there some spell protecting the forest and fields?" Sakura began to blush, realizing Syaoran hadn't taken his arm from around her shoulder yet. "And it looks like these two are the biggest romantics here… so it looks like we have to act like boyfriend and girlfriend for a while if we don't want to arouse any suspicion." Sakura said, starting to smile. She didn't exactly hate the idea of pretending to be Syaoran's boyfriend, though she couldn't admit it to herself. Syaoran's face turned bright red. "Yeah, so we gotta act like a couple until we leave… so I guess we should hold hands on the way to this meeting or something?" "Yeah… I guess so… I'd like that… I mean, I think that would look kinda romantic…" Sakura said. They grabbed each other's hands and stood in silence for a moment before walking down a path with their faces still red to look for the meeting room.  
  
Eventually, after a lot of wandering around and following some signs, they came across the place where the meeting was to be held. It was a large stone building with a straw roof built right into a wall. Inside was a series of wooden chairs. There wasn't much of anything. The floor was just dirt, there were small windows, though they didn't let much light in, especially since sundown was approaching. Instead, a series of torches along they gray walls lit the room slightly. It was still dark, except for the front of the room. They figured it was dark enough, so they took their sunglasses off. No one would be able to tell their eyes were a different color at a distance. The front of the room was well lit, covered with torches like a stage. They were still holding hands when they sat down towards the back of the room. They didn't realize it though, and they weren't blushing. They were trying to figure what this was all about. After a few minutes, and all the tuxedos were seated, a man walked out onto the stage, while many of the demons shouted, "Seifer! Seifer! Seifer!" He was about average size. He wore a large gray cape over his black leather pants and white shirt. He had light blonde hair, though they were too far away to see what color his eyes were. He stood at the center stage and began to make a speech while every other demon was silent.  
  
"Fellow soldiers, it will soon be our finest hour! I, your greatest leader and greatest soldier have finished preparations for the ultimate spell!" There was a loud cheer for a moment, and then all was quiet again. Sakura and Syaoran sat in utter silence, wondering what he was talking about.  
  
"For today, the preparations for the ultimate strength enhancer are ready! As we all know, the center crystal of this base is of limitless enhancing power, meaning that if used correctly, it can increase the physical strength, magic power, stamina, and more of anyone. Long has this crystal been the power of this base, granting all the magic power to the soldiers here. And I have discovered the spell to give all of us ultimate strength. Every one of us would be strong enough to crush those bastard "heroes" who slain Rosaria and David. And once the heroes are but a memory, we will move out and crush every village of mages, warriors, and every other civilization that has tried to halt our glorious mission. Revenge, will finally be ours…" He said, with a glance of evil on his face that sent a shiver up their spines. Another cheer roared through the crowds. "Our time has finally come! Preparing the crystal has been long and difficult work. Small side effects like slight memory loss, confusion, and dizziness have been said to be occurring around here with the power charging, but it is a very small price to pay. Tomorrow at dawn, you shall all gather at the main entrance to the Ceremonial chamber. There, the spell of limitless power will be ours! And we shall have the heads of those scoundrels, who have killed our friends, and Sadin shall have his cards, and we shall, alongside him, rule the universe! But for now, we shall feast and rest for tomorrow. Dismissed!" With that, the torches flared up, lighting the entire room. Sakura and Syaoran quickly put their sunglasses back on. They couldn't be seen like that with hundreds of soldiers around them. Thy quickly got up and ran outside.  
  
In the corner of the room sat a demon, with a look of hatred on her face. A tear rolled down the side of her cheek. "Those bastards…" she thought, with her long black hair covering her eyes. "First, they kill him… now, they want to destroy the world… They must be stopped, tonight!"  
  
"We've got to stop them, tonight!" Syaoran whispered to Sakura, hiding behind some crates of supplies outside the main hall with his sunglasses off. Sakura noticed the panic in his eyes and said, "I know. But we can't do anything right now. I'd bet anything that the entrance to the 'Ceremonial room" or whatever the hell it is called is guarded, to prevent anyone from sneaking in early. We'll make our way in tonight, when everyone else, or at least the majority of them are asleep." "Agreed." Syaoran nodded. They flipped their sunglasses back on and stood up. Their stomachs rumbled and a sweat drop rolled down each of their heads. "Ouch," Sakura exclaimed. "I'm so hungry, it hurts… I don't think I've ever gone this long without eating… I haven't eaten in over a day…" Syaoran looked at her. "Yeah… me too. Let's go to that feast that 'Seifer' or whatever his name was talked about. If we're going to sneak in tonight, we'll need to be at full strength, and right now, I'm feeling very weak…" And they quickly hurried off to follow the rest of the tuxedos to the feast.  
  
Their eyes lit up when the saw the feast. In the center of the camp was a few dozen tables covered with fruits, birds, pies, vegetables, wines, and everything you could think of. They started to grow impatient and sprinted over to the tables when somebody grabbed them by the back of their stolen tuxedos and dragged them to him. They looked up and saw a burly man with dark blue eyes and dark black hair looking at them. "C'mon, Bill. You always sit with us. Where were you going?" Syaoran panicked for a second, but regained control. "Umm, I was just… looking for you! Yeah, I just never saw you there." The stranger smiled an inviting smile at him. "Oh, I thought you were going to dump your friends on a special night like this." "Aww, come on, you know I'd never leave you guys, especially a night before such a special event." Syaoran said, trying to act cool and sound like Bill, though he didn't really know what to say. "Tomorrow? Yeah, that's special, but I was talking about tonight? You haven't forgotten, have you?" He looked at Sakura. "Jen, he didn't forget, did he?" A sweat drop rolled down her head. "Hoe… I mean, of course not!" She said trying to smile. "Oh good… Come on, let's go get some food." The strange man said.  
  
A few moments later, Sakura and Syaoran were sitting next to each other at a table, filled with demons that seemed like they were friends of Bill and Jennifer. They kept talking about how tonight was supposed to be a special night. Sakura and Syaoran had no idea what they meant, and they didn't really care. As soon as they sat down, they loaded up their bowls with noodles, chicken, rice, and anything they could get their hands on. They filled their glasses with juice and were ready to feast. They smiled at each other and dug in. They ate as fast as they could, until they noticed that their "friends" were staring at them. Syaoran wiped a noodle off his face and slowed down, embarrassingly. "Heh… sorry, I was just kinda hungry…" He said, trying to smile with a sweat drop on his head. They ate slower, trying not to rouse suspicion. They smiled at each other as they reached for seconds. "You know, 'Jen,' it feels great to finally get something to eat… I felt like I was going to pass out from hunger." Sakura smiled back as she drunk from her glass. "I know, 'Bill.' I feel my strength returning." Just then, one of their friends stood up and made an announcement to everyone sitting at their table. It was the same guy who dragged them to the table.  
  
"Ahem, as you know, tonight is a very special night. Not only is it the eve of the greatest day of Lord Sadin's armies, but it is also a very special day for our friends William and Jennifer." Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other in the eyes, and wondered what he meant. "It was exactly one year ago that the two started dating, and became the hottest couple in the army. If I know them well enough, they'd never forgive me if I forgot, so here's a toast to our favorite couple!" And with that, they took their glasses and had a toast and took a sip. Sakura and Syaoran, however, just sat there in confusion. "Oh great…" Syaoran thought. "Out of all the couples here to impersonate, we have to tie up the most romantic couple on their anniversary." They finished eating, and had some dessert.  
  
Just as they finished eating and were ready to get up, one of their friends asked, "What's wrong with you today? Usually you two are always so close. Always hugging, holding hands, and yet you've been pretty quite. What's going on?" They blushed. "It… it's nothing, really." Syaoran wrapped his arm around Sakura. "It's just that… umm… today was… we really…" He couldn't think of what to say. But before he could even try to make up an excuse, Sakura put her hands on his face, and turned his head towards hers.  
  
She moved in closer, and put her lips against his. Syaoran was shocked at first, and sweated a little bit, but quickly relaxed, and put his hands on her face to and drowned out the sound of everything else around him. Nothing else mattered. He couldn't think of anything else. But a million thoughts raced through their minds.  
  
"Why is she doing this?"  
  
"Why… am I kissing him?"  
  
"Is this just part of her act? Well, we're supposed to be acting like a couple…"  
  
"And me and Syaoran should kiss if we're going to act like a couple…"  
  
"We can't arouse suspicion… so I guess it's just an act…"  
  
"But if it's just an act, why do I… feel this way?"  
  
"She's so beautiful… My hearts racing…"  
  
"He's so handsome… my palms are sweating…"  
  
"Am I… in love?"  
  
"Is this what love feels like?"  
  
"…"  
  
"…"  
  
They wrapped around each other as tightly as they could. They didn't know long they had been kissing, and it didn't matter. After what seemed like an eternity of sweating, wondering, listening to their hearts racing, and disbelief, they finished and looked each other's face. They blushed deeply, and removed their sunglasses. They noticed that no one else was around. They were alone and safe. The sun was just finishing setting, and the light from the torches were dimming. They stared into each other's eyes and blushed deeply. They got up in silence, and wrapped their arms together and walked together to where they saw the bunkhouses before. When they finally reached them, Sakura broke the silence. "Where are we going to be sleeping?" Syaoran answered, "I'm not sure…" He crossed his arms and felt something weird in his pocket. He pulled it out. "It's some kind of identification papers. He read them aloud.  
  
"Name: William 'Billy' Grahm  
  
Sex: M  
  
Height: 6' 1"  
  
ID NO: 5837593  
  
Bunkhouse: 7  
  
Bed: 1"  
  
Sakura reached into her pocket and found similar papers.  
  
"Name: Jennifer 'Jen' Valentine  
  
Sex: F  
  
Height: 5' 5"  
  
ID NO: 5837594  
  
Bunkhouse: 7  
  
Bed: 1"  
  
They looked over the papers again, and thought that maybe they not only had the same bunkhouse, but they shared a—no, they couldn't. They entered and looked at all the beds. "5… 4… 3… 2…" Syaoran counted the beds. "Number 1. Here's my bed." Sakura looked over her papers again. "That can't be. This is my bed." They stood, looking at each other for a few moments, before it dawned on them: They had to share a bed. They needed to, or else someone might wake up and get suspicious. "So… I guess… we're sharing, huh Sakura?" Sakura blushed, but it was too dark to tell. They removed their sunglasses and sat down. "Yeah, I guess so… but we don't have a choice. We'll need to be rested when we go out tonight towards the Ceremonial room." She whispered. "Well, here goes…" They quietly got under the sheets, trying to stay far enough away. "Well, we should sleep in shifts, so we know we'll be awake when the time comes… yawn…" Syaoran said. "Yeah… I'll just sleep first… I'm exhausted…" And she put her head down on the pillow. Before she closed her eyes, Syaoran asked, "Sakura, that kiss… it was just an act, right?" Sakura blushed. "Just an act? Yeah, it was just an act. We needed to act like a couple, right? At least, I think it was an act." "You think it was an act?" "…" Sakura had fallen asleep, smiling. Syaoran listened to her breathing slowly and felt at ease. He said, "So angelic… yawn… I'll just rest my eyes." He fell asleep moments later.  
  
"NO! It can't be true… this can't be happening! Why?! WHY?! It's my fault…" Sakura was bawling over the shadowy figure. "It's all my fault… It's all my fault…"  
  
CRASH! The sound of a crate falling over outside rang through the night.  
  
Sakura sat up in the middle of the night and looked at Syaoran. He was asleep. His arm was over her shoulder. No one else was awake. What had happened. "Syaoran… Syaoran, wake up." She nudged him. "Ugh… what happened?" "You fell asleep silly… I just woke up. Something crashed. But it doesn't matter. We gotta go." "Alright, let's go." They silently got out of bed and snuck outside. "Syaoran, wait, I have an idea."  
  
They stepped behind the bunkhouse. Sakura pulled out her staff and a card. "MIRROR CARD! REFLECT OUR IMAGE!" And in front of them, stood a mirror image of themselves. "Okay, I need you to go in there and sleep in bed number 1. Make it look like we never left." The mirror card walked in and sat in the bed. "Okay, now we'll be okay if anyone wakes up. Where is the Ceremonial room, Syaoran?" Syaoran looked closely at a map that came with his ID papers under a dying torch. "According to this, it's the third building to the right. We gotta be quiet getting there, though." They slowly crept through the night. They walked passed the bunkhouses and the mess hall, and finally saw the Ceremonial room. It was another huge stone building. There were two guards standing in front of the door. They ducked to the side and pressed up against the wall. "I have a plan." Syaoran picked up a stone and tossed it towards at a nearby crate, sending a bunch of supplies crashing to the ground.  
  
"HALT! WHO GOES THERE?!" The guards ran off to investigate, while Sakura and Syaoran slipped into the wide doors. The room was covered in torches, lighting the way. Long tapestries and bookshelves covered the walls. But there was no sign of the crystal. "Syaoran, maybe the crystal is down those stairs?" She pointed to some circular staircases on the other side of the room. "Well, let's check it out." They farther they walked down, the brighter a strange green aura shined. When they reached the bottom, there stood a giant emerald green stone on a shrine. "That must be it." Sakura said.  
  
"Hold it, demons!"  
  
A shadowy figure stepped out, with a sword pointing at them. "I won't let you go any further." It was a girl with long black hair. She had a slight Chinese accent. Her hair was a lot like Tomoyo's but her skin was a lot brighter. "I won't let you demons cast this spell…" They stood in shock. "But… we're here to stop this spell!" Sakura said. "What?! But you are dressed like the demons…" "So are you." Syaoran said. They figure stood in awe. "That voice… it cannot be… but that voice… it sounds like that voice from the past… you can't be… SYAORAN?! And… you must be Sakura?!"  
  
"MEILIN?!" They gasped.  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, what did you think about the kiss? I've never been kissed before, so I wasn't sure it would turn out right. But I have received some compliments from people who have gotten kissed and they said they liked it and it was accurate. I'll try to get as many moments like that in as possible! ^^ 


	20. The Battle with Seifer

Note: I once tried to get a refund on my parent's taxes by saying I owned CCS. But it didn't work, because I DON'T!  
  
Chapter 20  
  
"W-w-what are you doing her, Meilin?!" Sakura stuttered. Syaoran just blushed, knowing that this wouldn't end well. "I could ask you the same question, Kinomoto. But I'm here to destroy this crystal." Sakura smiled. "Well, that's why we're here. Syaoran and me heard of what it could do, and decided to destroy it, too." "Alright, I'll believe that but… there is one thing I don't understand." A tear rolled down her cheek. The room was well lit, so Meilin covered her face with her hands. She didn't want Syaoran to see her crying. "Seven years ago… you both were found dead. Syaoran, when I heard you were gone… sniffle… I couldn't stand the thought. A week later… that's when the entire world was thrown into chaos. Or from what I've heard, every planet was thrown into chaos as well. Every military was gone… I couldn't let those pigs get away with killing you… so I stole a small boat and supplies in the midst of the chaos and I came to Japan. There, I joined a village of warriors in their fight against Sadin and his minions. This is part of my job. I became a spy and disguised myself as a demon so I could find a weakness here, and I have. I snuck out tonight. Though I knocked over a crate and I thought I woke some of the demons up." Sakura said, "Well, you woke me up, and I woke Syaoran up next to me. We were planning on sneaking in tonight." Meilin raised one eyebrow. "NEXT to you? You two weren't sharing a—" Syaoran could see Meilin hadn't changed. She still thought she and Syaoran were to be married one day. "Of course we weren't sleeping in the same bed!" Syaoran interrupted her. "Well, I'll believe you, this time, Syaoran. Now, can you explain to me how you two are still alive?"  
  
They told her the entire story of what happened. Sakura was finishing up with, "And on our way to the next shrine, we ran out of food. We needed some desperately. So that's when we spotted this fortress." Syaoran added, "That's when I jumped a couple of demons, tied them up, and stole their tuxedos." Sakura sighed. "I still think you didn't need to tie them up. Anyways, we've been impersonating these two since we got here yesterday afternoon. I think their names are Bill and Jennifer." With that, Meilin's face turned bright red. "How… dare… you…" "Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed. "I know that couple… and I saw them kissing passionately last night at dinner… THAT WAS YOU KISSING SYAORAN, WASN'T IT?!"  
  
At that, their entire faces turned red and they stuttered for a few seconds. A sweat drop rolled down each of their heads. Sakura finally managed to say, "Well, uh… you see… it wasn't… yeah, it was me… b-b-but it wasn't 'passionate!' I swear! It was just, friendly!" A huge vein popped on Meilin's face. She raised her sword close to Sakura's face and drew it back. "I should cut your throat right now for forcing Syaoran to kiss you like that! I don't care how 'friendly' it was! I bet you tried to stick your tongue down his throat! Now I'll stick my sword through your throat!" Sakura fell backwards, watching Meilin in her fury. Syaoran couldn't take it anymore. "WILL YOU JUST STOP IT?!" He screamed at her. Meilin immediately dropped her sword and hugged Syaoran. "I'm sorry, Syaoran. I should have been there to keep that Kinomoto from… from hurting you." Syaoran just put his hand on his forehead and shook his head. "Sheesh. She never learns, does she?" He thought to himself. Meilin looked up at him and her eyes shimmered. "But now you're back! And since we're old enough, we can get married! Just like we've always wanted to… and we can finally ditch Kinomoto!" Syaoran started to blush. He just stuttered incomprehensible syllables. Finally, he managed to order, "WOULD YOU GET OFF OF ME?!" Meilin let go and stood up. "Why? What's wrong?" Syaoran walked over to Sakura and helped her get up. He wrapped his arm around her. Meilin looked confused and angry. "What?! What are you doing?! Don't help her! You two may be the 'heroes,' but she can't force you to kiss her like that! Ditch her and take me with you! We'd make a much better team without Sakura dragging you behind! I bet we could have Sadin beaten in—" "WOULD YOU LET ME SPEAK?!" Syaoran said, bursting into anger. Meilin put her hands over her chest and was silent. "Look, I don't know what you are thinking is happening between us, but it's wrong! Yes, she kissed me, but she didn't force me! She didn't try to put her tongue in my mouth, it was all just an act!" Meilin stuttered, "A-an a-act?" Syaoran thought about what Sakura said the before they fell asleep. "Just an act? Yeah, it was just an act. We needed to act like a couple, right? At least, I think it was an act." Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was a little of both. "Yeah, it was. We were pretending to be that couple so we could stay here without suspicion." Sakura finally said. "But if it was just an act," Meilin asked, "then why did you hold it like that so long?" Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other and their eyes shrank and they blushed and turned away. "Umm, realism?" Sakura answered nervously. "Well, we've never really kissed anyone before, so we just sorta didn't know what to do. It was just to make sure we weren't acting out of character, okay?" Meilin thought for a moment. "Well, okay. I believe you." She walked over to Sakura, who was now standing. "Just remember, Kinomoto, he's mine!" Syaoran just shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry to break up this happy reunion, but I can't let you destroy my precious crystal."  
  
A voice echoed down the staircase. The three of them jumped back against the wall. Syaoran and Meilin drew their swords, and Sakura summoned the Sword Card. "Who's there?!" They asked at once. Slowly, footsteps were heard walking down the stairs. The figure turned around and grinned. "SEIFER!" The yelled. "The one and only. So, you two aren't really the happy couple, and you aren't really a soldier. Well, I'm glad you finally showed yourselves. It will make this great victory of finally ruling the universe even greater! And it is all thanks to me, Seifer, the greatest soldier who ever lived… the legendary warrior… and soon, the killer of the so called 'Galactic Heroes!'" Meilin stepped forward. "Sorry to interrupt your little ego trip, but you're not going to kill anyone. Me and Syaoran are going to destroy you!" Sakura coughed. "AHEM!" Meilin rolled her eyes. "And I guess Kinomoto could do something… but the important thing is, we're gonna kill you, and then we'll destroy you're precious crystal before you get a chance to use it!" Seifer started to chuckle, but soon broke into insane laughter. Sakura asked, "What's so funny?" Seifer was grinning from ear to ear with a sinister smile. "Poor fools. Poor, young, ignorant, fools. You don't sense it? I'm more powerful than any of you could possibly be! And now, I will become even more powerful!" And with that said, Seifer stood in front of his crystal that powered the entire fortress. He raised his hands and began to chant. The crystal began to glow bright green. It was almost unbearable. They shielded their eyes, until Meilin charged forward to try and hit Seifer. He just raised his arm and a blast of fire shot out the palm of his hand, sending her skidding across the stone cold floor. Sakura and Syaoran helped her up and watched in horror as what seemed like lightning shot out from the crystal and energized the mad soldier. Syaoran ran forward to try, but a beam of energy shot out and sent him flying into a wall, smashing the paintings behind him. The lightning stopped and all was silent and motionless. Seifer turned around, and his eyes glowed a bright green. He raised his hands, and a spell appeared to be forming in his hands. He lowered his hand and everything went black.  
  
"Where are we?" Sakura asked, looking around, to see only complete darkness. "You're in my special battle arena. But you may call it Hell, because it is here you shall all die slowly and painfully. Enjoy your last moments before I sacrifice you to the great Sadin!"  
  
A battlefield materialized around them. It was just a series of gray stone tiles surrounded floating in nothing. Everything else was just pure darkness. The three of them dropped in a triangle shape, and Seifer materialized in between them. "Alright, now let the torment begin! Who will fight me first?!"  
  
Syaoran drew his sword in an offensive position and charged. Seifer smiled. Syaoran swung at him, but Seifer dodged and chuckled. "Is that as fast as you can attack?" Syaoran growled. "I'll make you eat those words." Syaoran let loose a flurry of strikes and blows, but Seifer dodged them with ease. "Did you actually think you could beat me that easily?" Syaoran went for one last swing, but Seifer jumped behind him and kicked him in the back of the head, sending Syaoran tumbling over to the feet of the two girls. "I'll show you some real swords-play." Meilin said gloatingly. She jumped forwards, springing off her hands to take a shot.  
  
"I'm sorry, little girl, but fancy swords-play and acrobatics won't do you any good. Not while I possess this power!" Meilin flipped through the air and swung at her foe, but he raised his own sword and held her back with ease. "Is that all? I would've expected more from a member of a warrior tribe. She tried to kick him in the gut, but he caught her foot and flipped her over and she landed on her face. Seifer picked her up and tossed her through the air, and Meilin landed right on top of Syaoran. Seifer grinned. "Two down, one to go. I believe your next, my precious." He said eyeing Sakura.  
  
Sakura decided to take a different approach. "If I can't strike him, I'll hold him down… WINDY CARD! BECOME A BINDING CHAIN!" The Windy Spirit flew from her staff and the gentle card was wrapping itself around Seifer and becoming a barrier. "Alright! He's trapped!" Sakura celebrated. "Impressive. Very impressive. A barrier… you seem to be a lot brighter than your friends here, but…" He swung his sword and the Windy Card vanished. "…It still won't be enough!" Sakura gasped. But she got an idea. His sword was metal. She could defeat him like she defeated Rosaria. "THUNDER CARD! SHOCK SEIFER'S SWORD!" A bolt of lightning flew from her staff and traveled through the air. Seifer looked unimpressed. "I'm surprised you would try to attack me with such a pitiful magic spell." He swung his sword and the lightning bounced off his sword right back at Sakura. A look of fear filled her eyes moments before the energy from the card struck her. She let out a horrific scream of pain as the electricity flowed through her body. In a few seconds, it was over and she collapsed face first on the ground.  
  
"SAKURA!" Syaoran screamed upon seeing Sakura fall in pain. He rushed up, ignoring the pain he was in and picked up her head. "Sakura, are you alright?" There was a small amount of smoke in the air. Sakura coughed and answered, "I'm fine… I'm okay… cough… I'm just glad you're alright." Syaoran rubbed his face and felt a small bit of blood, but nothing serious. "It's nothing, I just skidded on my face… but you were shocked with a bolt of lightning." He held her close and hugged her. "I'm okay, Syaoran… really…" Meilin sat up and saw Syaoran holding Sakura close. She realized for the first time how much Sakura meant to him. She walked closer, ignoring Seifer who was laughing hysterically and ranting about his greatness. She couldn't believe what she saw. A tear rolled down Syaoran's cheek. She had never seen Syaoran shed a tear in her entire life, and here he was crying when Sakura was injured. She truly loved Syaoran… but wanted to see him happy, even if it meant giving him up. "I can't let Seifer win… I won't let them be killed here… not now… I love him… but if he truly loves Kinomoto… I have no choice…"  
  
"Sakura, what can we do?" Syaoran asked. "We've all tried and failed. He's untouchable. We can't beat him." Meilin stepped in. "Wrong. Individually, we can't win. He'd win without a doubt. He can predict our every move and reverse them. But can he handle three attacks at once?" Sakura looked up. "Three of us? Aren't you going to say that I'm too weak to fight? I mean, I already was electrocuted…" "Look, Kinomoto, I don't know what Syaoran sees in you, but he trusts you. So you must have some fighting ability. And this is no time to argue. All of our lives are at stake. Let's go." They all stood up and walked towards Seifer together.  
  
Seifer turned around, stopping his celebration. "So, back for a second round? I told you fools, you can't win!" He held his palm out and fired a blast of pure energy at them.  
  
"SHIELD!" A barrier surrounded the three of them, and the blast held in place around them. Syaoran and Meilin swung at the blast hovering in the air, and their combined strength sent it flying back towards Seifer. "WHAT?!" Seifer sad astonished as the blast landed at his feet, sending him flying through the air and crashing down. "…You bastards… I'll make you pay for that!" He stood up and prepared to cast a spell, but Syaoran swung at him and Seifer jumped back, right into a kick from Meilin to the back of the head. It kept him from noticing Sakura powering up. "FIRE!" A blast of fire struck Seifer in the face, sending him skidding across the floor and his cape on fire. The three of them drew their special swords. "What… how can this be happening to me?! Seifer, the greatest soldier who ever lived?!" The three of them surrounded Seifer and pointed their swords at him at once. He had nowhere to run. The three of them pierced right through his chest.  
  
Seifer let out some gasping noises, trying to get some air, but he couldn't. He couldn't say anything. They pulled out their swords at once, and he collapsed on the ground dead. The arena around them slowly vanished and they found themselves in the Ceremonial room again. Seifer's body was gone, leaving only the crystal left. The three of them raised their swords and smashed the crystal open at once. A bright light filled the air. The entire ground began to tremble. They raced for the exit, flinging open the doors, knocking down the guards. There was a general panic as demons woke up and scrambled. The three of them ran for the gate and cut it open, not waiting for the guards to open it. They got a good twenty feet away when they turned and saw all the walls and buildings collapse. As soon as the walls collapsed the entire area where the fortress stood just disappeared in a flash of light, leaving only a crater. There was no sign of life anywhere.  
  
The three of them stood in silence for a moment. A few seconds later, they all cried out in unison, "YEAH! WE DID IT!" Sakura and Syaoran hugged each other, not realizing what they were doing. Meilin just looked on, remembering how much they cared for each other. She smiled, watching them hug each other. "C'mon you two, let's go. My village is nearby." Wait a moment, Meilin." Sakura ran off into the bushes. A moment later, she emerged with the supplies in the backpacks they couldn't have taken, but she looked sad. "What's wrong?" Syaoran asked. "The two demons we tied up… they're gone. They disappeared when we broke the crystal. I wanted to let them go." "Sakura, they were evil demons. Just forget them." Syaoran said. Sakura sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right…"  
  
And the three of them walked off towards the warrior village, leaving the wake of destruction behind.  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, Meilin is back, the fort is gone, and Seifer is dead. In case you couldn't tell, Seifer was the guest villain from Final Fantasy VIII. I normally don't play Playstation, but for Final Fantasy, I make an exception. But I must warn you, my next chapter isn't that good… alright, it sucks, but it explains where they are going… but thanks for the reviews anyways! Keep at it! 


	21. The Village of the Warriors

Okay, I'm not going to lie to you: This chapter sucks, plain and simple. I kinda rushed it in anticipation of the next chapter. But keep reading! The next chapter will be better… I promise.  
  
Q+A Time!  
  
Bill and Jen, the two demons Syaoran tied up won't be making a reappearance. They disappeared when the crystal broke. The crystal was what was sustaining the lives of the demons, and when the crystal went, so did the demons.  
  
Secondly, yeah, she should probably be saying "FIREY!" Instead. I blame it on myself. You see, I really want to see all of the CCS DVDs, but I have only two DVDs and I believe only 7 of 18 are out. So I haven't seen it all, but I have read a lot about it and seen almost all of Cardcaptors. ::shudders:: DAMN YOU NELVANA!  
  
Third, yes I do like video games… assuming by "like" you mean utterly obsessed. Like I'm listening to a game soundtrack now… while typing… while playing "Golden Sun" on my GBA…  
  
Okay, that's enough for now. Onto the crappy chapter…  
  
Chapter 21  
  
"Come on, you two, my village is just ahead!" Meilin ran ahead screaming as Sakura and Syaoran slowly walked behind the energetic Meilin. They were exhausted. "Ugh… she's been hyper for hours… my feet are killing me… you've known her longer than I have, Syaoran, has she always been like this?" Sakura asked. "No," he responded slowly, panting in exhaustion. "She's never been this hyper before… usually she was the one to lag behind ME!" Meilin ran back. "What's taking you so long? Come on, my village is only about a mile or two away. How can you be so tired already? We've only walked about 20 miles!" Their eyes widened. "Only twenty miles?!" Sakura asked in shock. Meilin rolled her eyes. "I guess that's what happens when you aren't training to be a warrior for seven years like I have been." Syaoran looked annoyed. "Well, it's not like we had a choice. We were sent through a time portal, remember." "Yeah, yeah, but come on, or we won't be there before Sunset and we'll miss dinner." "DINNER?!" They both said with their eyes widening. In all the confusion, they had forgotten to steal any food in the fortress that now lie in waste. They hadn't eaten again all day and once again found themselves wandering on empty stomachs.  
  
"There!" Meilin pointed out a clearing in the woods. Sakura and Syaoran walked up the clearing and collapsed on a tree stump in exhaustion. Sakura groaned. "Finally… I thought we'd be wandering forever." Syaoran agreed. "It's about damn time." They sat up next to each other and were amazed. A group of warriors were hard at work training. Huge burly men in green tunics were running in and out of giant wooden buildings with smoke billowing out the roofs carrying giant logs. Slender women in blue tunics were practicing amazing acrobatics by back flipping, jumping over giant stonewalls, and practicing karate. Another woman ran to Meilin. She was a red haired girl about 11 years old in a small red tunic that fit loosely. She had large brown eyes. "Big sis!" She screamed as she ran and hugged Meilin. "It's nice to see you too, little sis." Sakura and Syaoran looked on in confusion. "Umm, excuse me, but who's this?" Syaoran questioned. The little girl saw them and screamed, "DEMONS!" She ran over to them, grabbed their hands, and with minimal effort flipped Sakura and Syaoran onto the ground. "STAY AWAY FROM OUR VILLAGE, YOU DAMNED MONSTERS!" She screamed. "MIHOSHI! NO!" She said as she grabbed her arm. "They're not demons! Look, I'm dressed like them too! We were disguised as demons so we could get into their fortress. Go tell the village leader that I'm back and it was a successful mission." Mihoshi walked over to Sakura and Syaoran. "…Sorry, I thought you were demons… I'm really sorry. My name's Mihoshi." Syaoran looked up, still upside down against the tree stump, with Sakura still on top of him. "I'm Syaoran, and this is Sakura. But, just promise me you won't do that again." Mihoshi smiled. "Oh, alright." And she ran off. They stood up and brushed the dirt off their tuxedos. "…She's pretty strong." Sakura said in amazement. "Well, she isn't really. She just caught me off guard. If I were ready, she couldn't have even come close. Plus, I don't hit little girls." Sakura smiled and rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure." Meilin smiled. "Well, that's what happens when you practice karate for 9 years. I've trained her since she was two." "TWO?" They asked in astonishment. "Yeah… when I first arrived here seven years ago, I came across a family of three in the woods be attacked by demons. It was Mihoshi and her parents. I managed to kill the demons, but her parents were fatally injured. So when the villagers learned that I saved her, they decided to let me come here to live, since at that point, there was no way to return to China. This village is for people like me who have no magic power, but wish to use their physical strengths to fight Sadin. I raised Mihoshi and taught her ever since that day when she was two. I taught her the basics, and by five, she knew the basics. She's very special. She thinks of me like a big sister. She's a little over protective though, as you just saw."  
  
Just then a large man in a black tunic with high brown boots surrounded by what appeared to be guards walked up to them, with Mihoshi in tow. The man appeared to be about forty, but was still in very good shape. He had dark black hair with a tint of gray and round brown eyes. Meilin bowed down. "Chief Cornia, I am proud to report my mission was a complete success. I destroyed the fortress and all of it's inhabitants, including Seifer." Syaoran put his hand on his face and purposely coughed. "…Oh, and they helped, too." Sakura rolled her eyes and thought, "Same old Meilin. Still the same after all these years." The chief looked at them. "And who are these two?" They stepped forward and introduced themselves and bowed in respect. "I am Syaoran Li." "And I am Sakura Kinomoto. We were in the fortress trying to steal some food and to try to destroy it. That's when we met up with Meilin." Syaoran added, "We've known Meilin from long ago, since before Sadin's invasion." The chief smiled. "Is that so? Any friend of Meilin is welcome in our village. Well, this is a glorious day! Dinner is to be ready soon, but I will have our chefs work extra hard. Tonight, we feast!"  
  
About an hour later, Sakura, Syaoran, Meilin, and Mihoshi were sitting next to each other at a long table covered in foods. Within a few seconds, Sakura and Syaoran were once again stuffing their faces as fast as they could. This time, however, they weren't alone. The rest of the village was eating just as fast. Meilin was too. "Man, running and training all day sure works up an appetite!" After about a half an hour of eating every type of meat they could, Sakura and Syaoran stood up stuffed. But not before Sakura grabbed some fruit and put it in her backpack for the road. They were extremely tired from their day of walking. They were headed for the rooms that had been assigned to them, when Mihoshi grabbed them by the arms. "Come on! It's time to dance!" An upbeat theme of music in drums was beginning to play. Many villagers were starting to dance in pairs together. Mihoshi started to push them towards the center of the field where the dancing was beginning. "Alright, it's time to celebrate! It's tradition that the entire village must dance after a victory like this! Come on, all the couples must dance!" They just blushed, though it didn't really show in the setting sun. "But we're really not a couple! We're just friends!" Sakura said. "Uh-huh. I've seen the way you two look at each other." Syaoran looked angry. "What do you mean by that?!" Mihoshi smiled. "Oh, nothing, really. But you have to dance anyways." They stood in front of each other, blushing as Mihoshi walked away. "So… umm… should we really… ummm I mean would you like to…" "Of course! I mean, I guess we could…" Sakura interrupted. They walked close to one another, ready to put their arms around the other to dance, when…  
  
RUMBLE! The entire ground shook, and everyone fell over. They looked up and saw in horror a bright orange liquid spurting from the top of a mountain. "A VOLCANO!" Sakura gasped. "That must be where the next shrine is!" Meilin walked up to them as they stood up. "Are you two okay? That happens a lot. It means that the volcano will probably erupt in a few days. Don't worry about the village, though. There is a small lake at the base of it that the lava flows into that prevents it from reaching here." Syaoran said, "But we can't let that happen! The next shrine is in that volcano! We need to get there soon!" Meilin looked worryingly at the volcano. "You're kidding! Oh damn… then the only time you can go would be tomorrow morning. It's too dangerous right now, and if you leave too late, it will boil you alive. You'll have to leave as soon as you wake up. But if you are going, then you'll need a few extra things. I'll put them in your backpacks. You should get to sleep. You'll need all the energy you can for tomorrow." Syaoran sighed. "Well, I guess we gotta put a rain check on our dance." Syaoran said half relieved, half disappointed. "I can't dance anyways…" Then he whispered. "Though I was sorta looking forward to… Wait! What am I saying? I must be too tired…" "Come on, Syaoran… let's get some rest." Sakura said yawning. They took one last look at the fiery mountain. They walked off to their rooms right next to one another and jumped right into their soft beds and fell asleep.  
  
The next morning, Sakura woke when she heard a knocking on her wooden door. She walked out to see, after adjusting to the bright sunlight, Meilin standing in the doorway holding Sakura's backpack. "I gave you some fresh supplies for you, and some fresh clothes in here. It's time for you to go." Sakura sighed. "…That was barely enough sleep…" She ran her hands through her long her, trying to straighten it out. She noticed Syaoran leaning on the wall. "Come on, Sakura. I'm still tired too, but it's either being tired, or be burned alive when the volcano erupts. And if we don't go, it might be months before we can attempt to go, if we ever can." "Hoe… Alright." She grabbed her backpack from Meilin and began to walk north. But before she could catch up with Syaoran already waiting for her on the trail to the volcano, Meilin whispered in her ear, "And just remember, you better take good care of Syaoran, or I'll come looking for you!" Sakura gulped and walked to Syaoran. "What did Meilin say to you, Sakura?" "Oh, nothing…" She said with a sweat drop rolling down her head. She turned to see Meilin waving them goodbye.  
  
"I wonder if I'm doing the right thing…" Meilin thought. "I love him, but I know they love each other… they just are too slow to realize it… I could join them and maybe become Syaoran's girlfriend before Sakura! …No… Syaoran will be happier with Sakura… Good-bye Syaoran… AND YOU BETTER TAKE GOOD CARE OF EACH OTHER!" She screamed out loud with tears forming in her eyes. She walked to her room and thought to herself…  
  
Sakura and Syaoran walked in silence through the woods, until they came to the end, and what they saw amazed them. In front of them stood a gigantic lake at the base of the volcano. Steam was rising from the water, creating a dense fog. Sakura walked to the shore of the foggy lake and put her hand in the water. "So warm… it's like a giant hot tub!" "The ground must be heated by the lava. It really is a giant hot tub. Hey, what are you doing?" Syaoran asked as he saw Sakura pulling out her staff and a Clow Card.  
  
"CREATE CARD! BUILD A WALL AROUND THE HOT SPRINGS!" Suddenly, a giant screen of white paper walls similar to the religious shrines Syaoran had seen in pictures of the Buddhist temples in China. "Umm, Sakura? What's with the paper walls?" Sakura grabbed her backpack and walked over to one half of the walls and stepped behind them. "I haven't had a bath in days. I really need one. I feel so dirty. And I bet I smell pretty bad, too. I never go this long without bathing." Syaoran just blushed. "B-b-but we don't have any swimsuits or anything! We're just going to—" "Well, that's what the walls are here for, silly! And I can't stand another minute in these hot and itchy tuxedos. Come on, we can try on those special clothes Meilin said she packed for us." She giggled. Syaoran was still blushing, but he needed one too. So he just took the top off his tuxedo and walked to his side silently. A few minutes later, they were both submerged in the hot water. Syaoran heard Sakura talking on the other side to herself. "Ahh… it feels so good to get all those itchy clothes off…" Syaoran's face turned bright crimson red. "Don't think about her like that… don't think about that… don't think about that…" He repeated to himself over and over. Eventually, Syaoran managed to relax. He slowly let himself sink from top to bottom underwater. Sakura did the same. She felt her long hair floating in the water, when suddenly she felt a burning sensation. She rose to the surface and stood on the side of the shore, but still hiding behind the shade of the walls. "Syaoran, did something just burn you too?" She said peering her head around the corner. Syaoran did the same. "Yeah… what happened? A few more seconds and I would have been boiled!" Sakura turned her head towards the other end of the lake. She noticed something glowing a dark orange. "I see it! Some lava has flowed into the lake." "Dammit." Syaoran said. "What are we going to do now? We'd be boiled on the inside if we tried to swim across now." Sakura held out her backpack. Well, first let's change into something. I don't think going into a volcano completely nude is the brightest thing to do."  
  
A minute later, Sakura walked out from her side. She had on the new suit Meilin had given her. She wore a pair of brown boots that went half way up to her knees. She had on a fire red mini-skirt made of some kind of leather and a loose-fitting red sleeveless leather top. A long red pointy sock-like red cap sat on her head that was as long as her hair. "Are you ready Syaoran?" Syaoran walked out. He had the same boots and hat as Sakura, but he had a sleeveless red tunic that ended halfway between his knees and hip with a brown ammo belt around his waist and around his shoulder. He put his sword in a special sheath specifically designed for it over his shoulder. They stared at each other and blushed for a second, noticing the others lack of many layers of clothes. But they were going into a volcano, so they needed to keep cool, so many layers wouldn't be too smart. "Yeah, but now what?" Sakura pointed at a brown piece of paper hanging on his shoulders. "What's that?" Syaoran grabbed it and read it.  
  
"Dear Syaoran,  
  
The tunic for you and the mini-skirt and top for Sakura are made of a special fabric. They are heat-absorbing suits that will protect you from the heat of the volcano. A spell has been placed on the volcano that keeps the inside of the volcano at a constant. 1,000° F. But as long as you wear these, you should be fine, but I wouldn't recommend staying too long. And falling in lava will still most likely be an instant death. So watch your step.  
  
Love, Meilin"  
  
"Well, at least we know we won't fry just being in there. Come on, I have an idea." She grabbed her staff and threw a card in the air.  
  
"FLY" The end of her staff sprouted a pair of wings and Sakura sat on it. "Come on. We need to get there fast!" Syaoran hopped on and held onto Sakura's side. They took off and flew above the fog. Sakura zoomed in and flew at high speeds, dive-bombing towards the fiery pit of molten rock.  
  
To be continued… 


	22. The Battle in the Volcano

Onto chapter 22, one of my personal favorites…  
  
Note: I don't own CCS. There. I said it. Are you happy?! ::runs off crying::  
  
Chapter 22  
  
Sakura and Syaoran squinted their eyes as they flew towards the brim of the volcano. Black smoke made it a little hard to see. "Like this, we should probably be able to reach the shrine quickly, Syaoran. What the--?!" Sakura finished saying as her staff began to spiral out of control. She was holding the end, trying to steer it, but to no avail. She lost balance and tumbled over the side but managed to grab the end. "SAKURA! HOLD ON!" Syaoran screamed over the roaring wind. To their dismay, they saw the wings on the staff vanish and the plummeted. They landed and rolled on the rocky brim of the volcano. Syaoran stood up first and looked for Sakura. "Sakura, where are you?" He asked. He spotted a hand over the edge and he grabbed it and pulled Sakura up. "What the hell happened back there, Sakura?" "I'm not sure… I just lost control, then the wings vanished. I think maybe it's too hot for the cards. I think maybe the Fly Card couldn't take it." "Yeah, probably. Let's take a look." Sakura picked up her staff and they walked to the edge of the volcano and looked in. They gulped and stared in shock of what they saw they had to do. There was a long, but small spiraling walkway that led down the volcano to the bottom, where there was a giant flat rock surrounded by pillars. Around the rock was a ton of boiling molten rock. In fact, magma was flowing everywhere, even out some walls. Smoke made it hard to see and breathe. Sakura coughed when a cloud of smoke quickly rose. "This is going to be tougher than I thought…" Then a burst of seismic waves shook the volcano. "Sakura, if we don't hurry up, the volcano might erupt, and we'll be killed. Let's just hurry and get this over with." And they slowly climbed down the side of the volcano onto the spiraling path.  
  
They walked for about ten minutes down the perilous path. Some parts the path became so small, they had to press against the wall and slowly slide along the wall. Sometimes, there was a gap to jump. It was like this the whole way. At one point, a small crack appeared in the wall next to Sakura, making a small noise that distracted her. "Hoe?" She stared at it. Syaoran saw it, and grabbed Sakura's arm to drag her back. A second later, the wall burst, which sent a wave of magma to where Sakura was standing. She just stood there with a blank look on her face while she saw the molten rock flowing and melting where she was standing. She looked at Syaoran. "Thanks. You saved me again." Syaoran wiped the sweat off his forehead. "It's okay… but man, it's hot down here." Sakura wiped her forehead too. "I know… I thought these outfits were supposed to keep us cool." Syaoran took out his thermometer. "Well, considering it's over 1,000°F in here, and it only feels like 120 something, I guess they work. Otherwise, we'd be dead by now." Sakura gulped. "I guess so… but still, at that temperature, we won't last more than a few hours in here either way, so let's just hurry." They finally reached the shrine, sweating like crazy. "Man, if I had known I'd be sweating so much, I'd have brought a change of clothes." She looked up from her sweat covered red top and suddenly she felt cold. Cold in fear. All around her were these dark statues of gargoyles, demons, monsters and the like surrounded by pillars. The entire shrine was made of this dark brown rock that made it hard to see. Syaoran was looking over the side. It was floating in a pool of magma. "…Let's just get this over with." Syaoran said, still staring at the boiling molten rock. They spotted the statue. It was some sort of half human, half… beast with horns. It was floating and roaring in the air, holding out the usual bowl that had the light radiating from it. Sakura pulled out a stone from her backpack and handed it to Syaoran. Just before he could place it in, another rumble happened and the stone flew from his hands onto the ground. When he reached to grab it, a huge slab of rock rose from the ground where the magic stone lay. "What the hell is it?" Syaoran asked. "I don't know… Is it alive? I hear something moving." The rock suddenly had a few cracks appear, and it shattered into a million pieces. They covered their eyes to shield from any flying rocks. When they lowered their arms, they dropped their jaws in horror.  
  
Before them stood a huge man with a scarred face. He was huge and muscular. His eyes were a blank white. Some sort of black leather covered his mouth. All he was wearing were high black leather boots, black gloves, and black pants. What really frightened them was what he was carrying. He held a huge black battle-axe, on the end of a stick probably 5 feet long. I could easily cleave them in two. He also was about 8 feet tall. He lifted his axe high overhead, gripped it with two hands, and smashed it into the ground with a thunderous sound. Sakura and Syaoran fell to the ground. They looked to the side to notice that they were rising in the air. The entire shrine rose in the air, and the ends suddenly extended, creating a flat arena. The gladiator stepped forward, and in a deep voice, he said, "Welcome, Galactic Heroes. I am the one who shall be avenging my comrades. Rosaria, David, Seifer, and the countless others you've killed. I have no name, because I don't need one. Everyone who meets me dies. I am perfectly immune to all forms of magic. And I am strong enough to rip you in two with my bare hands, so you are not strong enough to stop me. Why don't you just surrender so I can kill you quickly and painlessly?" Syaoran growled, "Bite me!" The unknown warrior laughed for a second. "I was hoping you'd say that. This will be a lot more fun… at least for me!"  
  
Syaoran made the first move. He lunged at the warrior, dodging the axe, and jumped in the air. He swung, connecting his sword with the warrior's neck. But it didn't do any good. He didn't even make the slightest cut on his skin. "What?! But… but how did he survive unscathed?! That should have killed him!" The villain chuckled. "Heh… that tickles. My turn!" He picked up his axe and slammed the end of the stick in Syaoran stomach. He lifted it overhead and brought the blunt end of the stick crashing down onto Syaoran's back. Syaoran screamed in pain. The warrior grabbed him and picked him up in the air. He tossed Syaoran at the ground at Sakura's feet. She stood in shock. The warrior asked, "So, are you gonna try and fail like your boy friend here?" Sakura couldn't let him get away with that. "I know, I'll combine two cards!"  
  
She drew her staff and tossed two cards in the air. "WATERY CARD! THUNDER CARD! COMBINE INTO ONE ATTACK!" The two spirits flew towards the brute warrior. The electricity of the Thunder Card flowed through the Watery Card, which took the form of a spiral. It contacted right in the chest of the evil demon. It drilled in as hard as the spirits could, but within a second, the demon leader just shook them off. "Nice try, but you fail, too." The demon charged forward, and Sakura braced for the impact. The demon's foot collided with Sakura's head, sending her flying into the rocky sides of the volcano. She coughed and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I think I made my point clear. Now you'll know why no one gave me a name. No one who meets me ever lives." He slowly stepped forward to Sakura. She raised her staff to summon another card, but he kicked her in the chest, causing her to gasp for air. "Ugh… can't… breathe…" She hunched over in pain. The demon raised his axe over his head, and prepared to drop the blade right through Sakura, when…  
  
SLASH! A blade of steel connected with the axe as it came crashing down towards Sakura's head, stopping it. "You're not going to kill her… SAKURA! GET OUT OF THE WAY! I CAN'T HOLD IT MUCH LONGER!" Syaoran was pushing his sword against the axe. Moments later, the demon overpowered him and the axe came crashing down, just as Sakura moved to one side. "You bastard…" The demon spoke. "You made me miss. I guess I'll just play with you for a while, kill you, then I'll finish with the girl!" He kicked Syaoran to the ground and grabbed his neck. He lifted Syaoran high into the air by his throat. Syaoran's face turned red as he kicked in the air and held his throat, trying in vain to try and breathe. Finally, before he could pass out, Sakura watched in terror as the demon threw him with all his might into the wall. There, he charged and crushed him into the wall. Syaoran tried to scream, but hadn't breathed enough yet and simply sat there with a horrified expression on his red face. It only went worse from there. The demon showed no mercy. He picked Syaoran up and began to beat him. First he would punch him from the left, then the right, and the left again. He repeated this over and over. Sakura sat in shock when she saw the tears rolling down Syaoran's face. The blood was pouring from his wounds. The sweat from the heat and sheer terror poured into the bloody wounds. His face was covered in bruises. With each punch, she saw the blood, sweat, and tears fly off his face. Sakura struggled to her feet. She steeped closer slowly to the scene. The demon finally knocked him down with one solid punch. He hit Syaoran so hard he flew once again into the wall. The blood flew into the air and some landed on Sakura's face. She rubbed her hand on the blood and looked at it. Syaoran's blood, the blood spilt trying to protect her was now on her, almost symbolically, like it was her fault he was in that situation. Something inside Sakura snapped.  
  
She couldn't stand it. She watched as Syaoran was brutally beaten. She felt helpless, but she had to do something. "YOU BASTARD! YOU SORRY, INSIGNIFICANT BASTARD!" She screamed as if possessed by a demon. The demon stopped the attack for a moment. "Wait your turn. I'll kill you later. Now shut up while I kill him, you sorry bitch." The demon said, with irritation in his voice. Sakura made a fist. Her whole arm was shaking. She could never forgive this demon. "You better stop right now, you bastard, or God help me, I'll kill you." She said with a look of utter disgust and hatred on her face. "I said SHUT UP!" The demon ordered. "NO! YOU LISTEN! I'm not going to let you live for this… no one can treat Syaoran like that. No one! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" The demon lowered his eyebrows in anger. "That's it, I'm killing you first." He turned Syaoran towards Sakura and gave him one last brutal punch, sending him crashing to Sakura's feet. Sakura bent down and turned him over. Syaoran looked half-dead. Blood covered his face. Tears still flowed in pain. Syaoran coughed on his own blood. Syaoran had his eyes closed, but he opened them momentarily, but closed them quickly. "Sakura…" He whispered. "Get out of here… save yourself… I'm finished… he's invincible… I've failed you… I'm… I'm sorry, Sakura…" Then he closed his eyes and rested for a moment.  
  
She didn't know what to say. She was utterly speechless. She just cried. She cried hard. That's when she remembered her dreams. Crying over a shadowy figure. Blaming it all on herself. Was this what her dreams meant? Were they a warning? No… this was very similar, but this wasn't what the dream was telling her… She…  
  
"DAMMIT! Fight me you cowardly bitch!" Sakura looked up in disgust. She rested Syaoran beside the wall. He opened his eyes. "Sakura, I told you to leave. There's no hope…" "Never… I'm not going to abandon you. Either we both leave here alive, or neither of us do." She said stroked her fingers through his hair. They were both silent. They stared in their eyes for a moment. Sakura finally stood up and faced the unknown beast. "Well, how do you want me to kill you, fast or slow?" He mockingly said. Sakura once again looked at him in utter disgust. He was the first person she hated everything about. He was pure evil, no heart or conscience, no ethics. "You have drained all the hope from Syaoran. He has always seen hope, but no more. You've taken his hope, and for that, I can never forgive you…" She tossed a card in the air. "POWER CARD! COMBINE ALL OF YOUR POWER INTO ME!"  
  
Sakura channeled all of her hatred, her anger, and her might into the spell. Every once of strength she had went into this card. The wind from the spell was enormous. Her hair fluttered in the wind. The Power Card began to glow a golden aura. It was brilliant. The light from the card then slowly built up and in a flash, transferred into Sakura. Sakura absorbed all the power. The golden aura now surrounded her. Her emerald colored pupils disappeared, replaced with golden light. Syaoran just gasped. He had never seen her like this before. The demon stood in shock. "Well… this is different. I'm rather impressed, but I must kill you anyways." He lifted his battle-axe overhead and charged towards her. He swiftly swung his axe at her, and Sakura simply raised her hand. The axe connected right with her, heading towards her head.  
  
…But she was fine. The axe stopped right in her hand. It had no effect. "What the hell?!" The demon shouted. Sakura squeezed hard at the sharp end of the axe, and the hard metal weapon crumpled like sand in her hands. Before the demon could figure out what happened, she grabbed his staff the axe was on, and swung it, connecting with the demons skull. The staff cracked in two over the villain's head. He let a grunt of pain and turned around. He rested against a wall. He turned to see Sakura preparing to punch, and he ducked. Sakura's fist collided with the wall, knocking down a huge chunk of the inner volcano with it. The villain's eyes widened. "He couldn't believe her power. But before he knew what was happening, Sakura landed a punch right on his face. The demon was sent flying across the arena. He landed flat on his back. Sakura walked over to him and kicked him in his side continually. She finally picked him up. The demon staggered in place. Sakura picked up Syaoran's sword which as lying on the ground. She placed it up vertically to her face and focused all of the remaining power into the sword. It began to glow with the same aura. She charged forward, and in the blink of an eye, she was on the other side of the demon, already, sword in position like she just swung it. Suddenly, a blinding white light irradiated from the demon. Only his silhouette could be seen. The top of his shadow slowly began to slide off from the bottom. Sakura had cleaved him in two. A few seconds later, there was an explosion. When the light died down, the villain was gone. Sakura had been good to her word and killed the demon. The aura surrounding her died down. She dropped Syaoran's sword and slowly staggered over to him and knelt down. "Are you okay, Syaoran?" She asked. "Yeah, I'm fine… but…" He closed his eyes and dropped his head unconscious. Sakura stood up, and rubbed her head. "Ugh… my energy… I've used too much again…" She slowly sat down and leaned her head against Syaoran's and lost consciousness.  
  
Syaoran was the first to waken. He turned to his side and saw Sakura leaning on his shoulder. "Sakura, wake up." He felt the blood on the side of his head. "Ugh… my aching head… Sakura, wake up. This is no time to rest. Remember, if we stay here too long, we won't make it. It's still like 120° F in here to us. He rocked her back and forth. "…" No response. He listened closely. She was barely breathing. "No… Dammit… I've got to get her out of here." He stood up and noticed two gems on the ground. One was the magic absorbing stone, the other was new. It was a black dark stone. The Nameless Warrior must have dropped it. He put it in his backpack and kept the magic absorbing stone in his hand he walked over to the statue of the beast and placed the stone in it. He turned and grabbed the backpacks and was ready to leave. He headed to Sakura, when a strange sound appeared behind him. He turned to see the statue of the beast was melting into a puddle of magma. This was the least of his concerns. The sides of the arena that had appeared to connect the ground to the side of the volcano disappeared, and the entire shrine fell through the air for a second, and landed in the magma. Syaoran felt the entire shrine sinking. The shrine started to turn on its side. Syaoran quickly sheathed his sword, but noticed Sakura was rolling towards the pool of magma. He ran towards her and grabbed her hand. He climbed towards the top of the shrine as it sank into the molten rock. He wrapped Sakura in his arms, and leaped for the path they entered in. He charged for the surface. But the volcano began to erupt. The magma quickly followed him up, right behind him. He charged as fast as he could. He wouldn't let this happen. He wouldn't let both him and Sakura be killed. Eventually, he reached a flat plane they had entered on, but it was too steep for him to climb. He turned in horror to see the lava pouring in. He wouldn't abandon Sakura. He just covered his eyes and waited for it to be all over. A few moments later, he opened his eyes. The lava stood in place mere feet from him. What had happened? The lava started to turn gray. It became clear to him. The volcano was hardening. The lava became solid rock. Not only that, but it became the perfect ladder. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a rope. He tied Sakura to his back, piggyback style. Like that, he climbed to the surface of the volcano.  
  
He stood on the outer rim and looked around. He saw the warrior village to the south. He pulled a charm out and put it against his sword. "WIND!" A gust of wind appeared below them and placed them at the base of the volcano, just near the hot spring. Syaoran took a drink of the water. It was cooler. He got an idea. He untied Sakura, and carried her into the water, not even bothering to take their clothes off, though it's doubtful he would do that to Sakura. He let her rest against the shore, with water up to her neck. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a rag. He wetted it and rubbed it on his wounds. He looked over at Sakura. Her face still had some blood on it. He put one hand on her face, admiring her, and washed the blood away with the other…  
  
Blood… blood stained the ground… it all became clearer. Beside her, lay the remains of a large dragon, it's dark red eyes closing… she walked closer to the figure lying next to the fallen beast. She picked up the figure's head. It was covered in blood… the blood of this victim was what covered the ground…  
  
Sakura opened her eyes. She felt she was in a bed, but where? She looked around at the wooden building. "Where am I?…" She asked. She heard a gasp. "Sakura?!" In a second, she saw Syaoran's face over hers. His face had some bloody bandages, and he was covered in bruises, but was otherwise fine. "Sakura… thank God you are alright…" He lifted her head and hugged her as hard as he could. "I was afraid we were going to lose you…" Syaoran said. Sakura was silent for a moment. She could here Syaoran beginning to cry. "Syaoran, what happened?" Sakura asked. "That spell, it drained far too much of your energy. You almost used every once of strength in your body. If you had, you wouldn't be here right now… Thank God… I want you to promise me that you'll never do that again. I saw you, that hatred… it isn't you… That's not the side of you that I lov--, I mean that's not you." Sakura blushed. "…I promise." Sakura wrapped her arms around Syaoran and hugged back as hard as she could. He put his lips on her forehead and kissed her. They sat in silence.  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, was it wrong for Sakura to fight through her anger? I liked the idea, but maybe it was a little out of character. But I like the kiss at the end… even if it was just on the forehead. 


	23. The Prison

Okay, thank you all for reviewing! I never dreamed my fiction would be so popular! But, you all ask so many questions. So, the next section is a spoiler before I go to chapter 23. If you don't want to spoil some of the story, please skip right down to the story… now.  
  
Okay, yes, Eriol will be in the story. I put him in a chapter very soon. But I'm not sure if he'll have a big role, or that small cameo. And yes, Meilin WILL be back. Tomoyo too. …And Mia, Kero, Yue, Touya, Vincent, Mihoshi, an upcoming character named Gene, and all the other characters. They will be there for, "the final battle." Does that answer your questions? But right now, most of them aren't with Sakura and Syaoran. Kero, Yue, Tomoyo and Mia are in the Mage Village, Meilin's at her village, Vincent is in his… etc.  
  
But enough spoilers, on with the story! (Warning, this chapter is more… graphic than usual.)  
  
Chapter 23  
  
Meilin slowly peered her head in the door. She saw Syaoran sitting on Sakura's bed, with his lips gently pressed against Sakura's forehead. "Syaoran, you're supposed to be resting in bed! Your wounds still aren't fully healed yet." She said. But Syaoran didn't respond. He just sat there, gently hugging Sakura. She saw a tear roll down Sakura's cheek with her eyes closed, arms wrapped around Syaoran's shoulders. "Syaoran… I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have made you worry like that…" She said, choking on her tears. "It's alright, Sakura… I'm just glad you're safe. You've already promised me you wouldn't do it again, and I have no reason to doubt your word. I trust you…" He said. Meilin just stared at them, thinking about them. She saw how much they loved each other. They may not be able to admit it, to themselves or each other, but they loved each other. Meilin thought abut losing Syaoran. She loved him, but she also wanted him to be happy. She slowly walked to the door and shut it silently. She sat against the door, with tears in her eyes. She couldn't take it; she just wanted to be alone. She ran off crying into the woods. She sat down on a trunk and cried. She cried over and over. She didn't want to, but she had to let Syaoran go…  
  
"Meilin? Is that you crying?" A voice rang out through the woods. Meilin looked up and saw Mihoshi standing there in the morning light. "What's wrong, big sis?" Meilin turned away from her to hide her tears. "It's… nothing. Really." Mihoshi answered reluctantly, "…It's Syaoran, isn't it?" Meilin looked at her innocent childish face. "How did you know?" Mihoshi sat down next to her. "I may be young, but I know these things. I can tell you really love him. But he really loves Sakura, and she loves him, but they can't admit it. But you're wrong about one thing." "Huh?" She asked confused. "He does love you." Mihoshi stated. "No he doesn't. He loves Kinomoto." Mihoshi smiled. "That's true, but he also loves you. Not like he loves Sakura, but in a different way. He loves you like a sister, like I love you. To us, you are someone very dear to us, whom we would always want to protect. He really loves you like that." Meilin smiled at Mihoshi. "Thank you, lil' sis…" And Meilin hugged her deeply.  
  
Back at the village, Sakura and Syaoran walked out of the bunkhouse, in silence. The village elder Cornia walked up to them. "So, you are leaving to continue your quest?" Syaoran answered, "Yes, we have to stop Sadin, at all costs." The chief frowned. "I wish you would stay, but I know of your quest. You must go. I wish there were more we could do, but I'm afraid we've done all we can." Sakura smiled. "That's okay. You don't need to do any more. We'll just be leaving; we hope to see you again one day. We're heading East towards the shrine in the ocean. We don't know how to get to it, but we'll find some way." And they walked off towards the East. They were dressed in special made green tunics with long brown boots. They carried their backpacks over their shoulders, which were now full of food and supplies. They were ready to set off, when they heard, "STOP!" It was Meilin. "I need to talk to you!" She ran next to them. "I just wanted to say good-bye. Since I might not see you again…" Sakura smiled. "Of course we'll see you again. We'll both be back. I promise." Meilin smiled. "I guess you're right. Sakura, can I talk to you alone for a moment? You know, girl-to-girl?" Sakura looked confused and turned towards Syaoran, who signaled that he thought it was okay. The two girls walked a little distance so Syaoran wouldn't hear them. "Kinomoto, I know we haven't been the best of friends, but when Syaoran told me how you risked your life to save him, I knew how you must feel about him." Sakura looked confused. "What are you talking about?" "I just want to let you know, you have my permission to feel that way about him. I know you'll do a good job. Just don't make him worry like after you fainted, got it?" Sakura stood in silence and confusion. "Hoe… what do you mean?" "Don't worry, you'll figure it out eventually. Well, I'll let you go." Meilin walked off, waving as she went. Syaoran walked up to Sakura. "What was that all about?" He asked. "…I'm not sure…"  
  
They set out on the rest of their journey. After a day of walking, they arrived on a beach with large waves crashing on the shore. They sat down on the sand and unfolded the map. "So, is this where the next shrine is?" Syaoran asked. "I don't think so. It should be about another day east of here. My question is, how will we know where it is exactly and how will we get to it? The entire shrine is underwater." She answered. Syaoran turned around and crossed his arms. "I'm not sure I guess we'll just have to—" "UGH!" He heard Sakura scream behind him. "Sakura?" He turned and saw Sakura lying motionless on the ground. "Sakura! What happened?" He lifted her head. She was out cold with a blow to the head. He looked up just in time to see something fly towards his head before everything went black… He temporarily regained consciousness. He felt someone dragging him. He opened his eyes. He saw two demons dragging him and Sakura somewhere. He then lost consciousness again…  
  
Syaoran groaned loudly and rubbed his head. He felt like a car had hit him. He sat up, half unconscious. "…Damn… what the hell happened?" He heard crying coming from nearby. He couldn't see much because his vision was very blurry. "Who's there?" He asked, not knowing where it's coming from. "S-S- Syaoran?! Is that you?!" Syaoran's eyes still didn't focus. "Syaoran, it's me, Sakura." Sakura said. Syaoran walked closer to where he heard her voice come from. "Where are we? I can't see a thing. OW!" He walked straight into some large metal poles sticking out of the ground. Finally, his vision straightened. It was dark, but he could now make out his surroundings. He had bumped into… prison bars?! "Where the hell are we?!" He asked again, leaning against the bars. "We're in some kind of prison… demons knocked us out and dragged us here…" Syaoran looked up and recalled seeing them be dragged off. "Oh yeah, now I remember. But why were you crying?" He turned and looked at Sakura. He stared blankly for a second, covered his eyes and turned around screaming. "Hey! Where are your clothes?" He was right. She was completely naked. Sakura pointed. "I can say the same thing to you." Syaoran blushed deeply. Oh damn… I'm still groggy… I didn't even notice… But, why?" Sakura was silent for a moment. "Those demons… they looked for the Clow Cards, but they never found them. They didn't realize that the cards are in our backpacks still on the beach. They thought we had them on us, so they took all of our clothes, weapons, food, everything. They never gave any of it back…" She began to cry. "It has been a living hell staying here…" Syaoran looked up at the ceiling. "Is that why you've been crying? Because it's been rough?" Sakura turned away. "No, that's not it… I don't want to talk about it…" Syaoran was silent for a moment. "Well, you don't have to tell me, but I just thought…" Sakura interrupted with, "Alright… but please don't overreact…" She stepped forward into the small bit of light from a dim light bulb that was the only source of light in their cells. Blood was streaming down her cheeks. Her face was covered in bruises, as was the rest of her body, from he legs, to her chest, to her arms. She was filthy and covered in dirt and mud. "Oh my God! What happened to you?!" Syaoran asked in horror. "It's nothing…" She said in a quite fearful voice as tears formed in her eyes. "Nothing huh? Bruises and cuts just don't appear out of nowhere. What happened?" He asked again. "When they didn't find the Clow Cards, they came to my cell. You were still unconscious. You've been out for about two days. I woke up a few hours after we arrived. They asked me where the cards were, but I wouldn't tell them. They started to scream at me, but I still wouldn't tell them. Then they started to shove me around. Eventually, the two guards just jumped me and beat me… And they beat me hard… They punched me in the face, kicked me, cut me, anything they could think of… they did the same thing yesterday, and they promised to do it again today! I'm so scarred…" Syaoran was silent. He was so shocked and disgusted. "And these conditions… the rats, the dirt, the darkness… The only thing I have to keep me warm at night is this rag. I CAN'T TAKE IT! They haven't given me any food either… just water. I haven't eaten in two days… I feel so weak… But that's not the worst part…" Syaoran couldn't believe that. She had been beaten and starved. How could anything be worse than that? "I looked in your cell, and saw the blood coming from your head… they told me you were already dead. That you had bled to death. I couldn't look at you… The thought that my best friend, my Syaoran was covered in blood and dead in the room next to me was too much to bear…" Syaoran couldn't believe what he was hearing. His blood boiled. The lies, the beatings, Sakura didn't deserve it. No one deserves that kind of abuse, especially Sakura. He reached his arms through the cell bars and stroked his fingers through her hair. "It's alright Sakura. Everything will be fine now. I won't let them lay another damned finger on you." He pulled her closer to the bars and tried to hug through the metal poles.  
  
"Aw, isn't this sweet? The bitch and her man are together again…"  
  
A voice came in from the other end of the room. A lone demon, armed with a handgun, walked in. "So, you're finally awake? Good, I'm glad. Now not only do I get to beat your girlfriend here in front of you, but then I get to beat you too!" Syaoran's face turned bright red in hatred. "YOU BASTARD! YOU WERE ONE OF THE GUARDS WHO BEAT SAKURA! I'LL KILL YOU!" He feverishly reached his arms out of the cell, trying to grab the guard, like a lion trapped in a cage. "Heh. Feisty today, aren't we? Well, no matter. Let's get started. I'll just—AUGH!" The guard suddenly dropped to his knees, and disappeared like all of the tuxedos do. An object landed where the tuxedo guard once stood. Sakura reached out and picked it up. "An arrow?" She said. "But who—"  
  
"It's mine." A voice said, interrupting Sakura. A figure stepped in front of their cells. He was a tall and slender man, probably around 6'5" with bright blonde hair. He had deep blue eyes. He was dressed in a black suit, something you'd expect a cat burglar to wear. "My name is Gene. I'm from a nearby village of archers. Sadin's armies captured me and the rest of the villagers. We were taken here, but I escaped from my cell. Unfortunately, I don't know where the rest of the villagers are. But as I snuck around, I heard some guards talking about the Galactic Heroes were trapped here. So, I figured I could make a deal with you two. I'll help you escape if you'll help me find and rescue my fellow archers. Deal?" "Of course we'll help you. You saved me from being beaten again." Sakura said. "Great." He picked up the keys the guard was carrying and unlocked their cells. "Oh yeah, I brought some stuff for you two. Some food, some medical supplies, and it looks like you two could use some clothes. It wouldn't be very smart to try and break out of here completely nude." He tossed them some clothes and they quickly got dressed, not even caring what they looked like. When they finally finished, they looked at each other. Everything they wore was black. Black t-shirts, black pants, black boots, and a black wool hat. Next, he gave them their medical supplies. They stepped out of their cells and helped wrap bandages around their wounds. "And I'm sure you're both hungry. I managed to steal some food from the kitchen." Gene tossed them some apples and they ate them up quickly. "Okay, are you two ready?" He asked the two heroes. "Yeah, but I have just one question: Tomoyo, our friend, told us that Sadin had destroyed all of the technology in the world, but then how…" "Does Sadin's prison have all of this technology like the lights and guns? He may have destroyed all of the technology, but that damned greedy pig kept a lot for himself and his armies to use." He picked up the handgun the guard was carrying. "That's why their armies here use these."  
  
At the other end of the room, a door opened and a guard stepped in. "OH NO! THE PRISONERS ARE FREE!" The guard screamed. He ran outside the door and pressed a button. Gene raised the pistol and fired. The guard fell, but it was too late.  
  
"BREEEE! BREEEE! WARNING! INTRUDER ALREAT! THE PRISONERS ARE FREE! ALL PERSONNEL ASSISST IN CAPTURING THEM! BREEEE! BREEEE!" The alarm had been sounded. "Oh shit… Come on, we gotta move!" Gene said as they made a run for the door, into the prison full of armed guards to try and rescue the village of archers.  
  
To be continued… 


	24. Sakura and Syaoran: Super Spies

Okay, if you truly want to experience this chapter, listen to some James Bond music, since this chapter is ripped right outta a Bond flick, right down to the gunfights. I plan on having some chapters that are pure story with little action involved, like the upcoming chapter 27 which I finished tonight… this is not one of those chapters!  
  
Chapter 24  
  
The three escapees ran into the hallway as the alarm sounded throughout the building. No doubt so there would be a flood of guards rushing in. "Come on, this way. I know where we can hide." Gene said, leading them down the hall into a large storage room. It was a dark, huge, wide-open room filled with crates to the 20-foot high ceiling. The three of them ducked behind a large crate and sat on a smaller crate. Gene rolled out a map. "Okay, these are the blueprints for the building I stole on my way here." He said. "Here is where we are, the weapons storage facility. This is where Sadin's troops from all around the world keep their weapons. This is their main supply depot. These crates are filled with guns, swords, knives, throwing stars, and every other weapon imaginable." He pointed to the large room with his finger. He quickly ran his finger to the left. "This is where I freed you two." He ran his finger up to the other side of the map. "This, on the far end of the map is where the villagers are being kept. According to this, they are locked in special cells that are electronically sealed. We can use this to our advantage, but we'll need to split up. I think that if we can shut off all the power to the base, the doors will open, setting the prisoners free. I'll be there when the doors open. To shut off the power, someone will have to destroy the power generator or the computer that controls it here." He pointed to a small building in the west side. "Syaoran, I'll need you to destroy that power generator." Syaoran nodded. "Alright, I'll do it." He said. "But there's a problem: To get there and to get to the prisoner's cells, we'll need to get by a series of defense systems. Lasers, turrets, guards, everything you can think of will be there. We need to shut off the security system so we can safely pass. Sakura, that's where you come in. Sneak into this building here. Disable the security system by destroying the main console with some explosives and the security will shut off." He rolled his finger over to a small shack on the east side. "What?! I can't do that! I don't know anything about security systems, sneaking around, guns, explosives or any of this stuff! How can I do this?" She said in a nervous tone. "Don't worry, it's easy. We'll even be in constant contact. Take this." Gene said as he tossed both of them a pair of radios. "With these, we can always ask each other for advice. But we need weapons. I'm the best with my bow and arrows, so I'll keep mine, but you two need some more weapons." He reached into some crates and pulled out the weapons.  
  
"Okay, for Syaoran, here is a handgun and small sword." He gave them to Syaoran who hid them both under his clothes. "Now, for Sakura, here is some C4 explosives for the console and a sub-machinegun." He tossed them to her. "Hoe…" "What's wrong Sakura?" Syaoran asked. "Two things really. First, I don't know how to use this stuff. I'm no super-spy or something. Second, I don't wanna use this stuff! I don't wanna have to shoot someone." Gene said, "Don't worry. We'll be in contact. And you don't have to use them, but keep them in case of an emergency. Oh, I almost forgot to mention. When all objectives have been cleared, meet in the center courtyard. There, we'll regroup with the villagers and leave. Alright, everyone understand? We have no time to spare, move out!" Syaoran and Gene rushed for the exit, but Sakura dropped her supplies on the ground when she tried to run. She reached to pick them up, but she heard yelling at the end of the hallways that led to the supply depot. "THEY'RE IN THE SUPPLY ROOM! HURRY!" She then heard the footsteps of soldiers approaching. She knew she was trapped.  
  
She grabbed her radio. "SYAORAN! COME IN!" She said loudly into the hand- held radio. "Syaoran here. What's wrong?" "I'm still in the weapons room. But the guards are closing in… AHH!" The sound of bullets filled the transmission. "Dammit, Sakura's in trouble! I gotta go help her!" He reached for his radio. "Sakura, if you can still hear me, return fire! It's your only chance! I'll be there as soon as I can!"  
  
Sakura leaned against a crate as the bullets flew from the soldiers at the other end of the room. "Hoe… I don't want to fight them, but I have to…" She rested her gun on the crate. She couldn't bear the thought of shooting them, but she had to, so she turned her head away from the carnage and fired. The soldiers ducked behind a crate themselves to dodge her rapid fire, but it did them only damage rather than protect them. A stray bullet from Sakura's gun cut the rope holding the stack of crates, sending the huge stack of weapons, at least a ton each, crashing down on the unsuspecting guards. Sakura walked out and stepped next to the crate that crushed the enemies. "Hoe… I'm sorry…" Syaoran sprinted into the room. "Alright! Sakura! I'm here to help… you…" He saw Sakura standing over a crate with the weapons of fallen foes sticking out. "Well, and you said you couldn't do this stuff." Syaoran said jokingly. "I know, but I didn't want to…" She picked up an extra magazine of ammo and snapped it into her gun. "Well, let's get moving. Gene must be getting closer." She said and they ran off.  
  
The two of them split up at an intersection, one leading west, one leading east, when Syaoran got a call from Gene. "Syaoran, are you there?" "Yeah, I'm here. What's going on?" "I'm halfway to the prisoner's cells. How is Sakura? I heard gunshots. The rest was all static." "Sakura was trapped by an entire fleet of guards." "Where is she now? Is she alright?" "Yeah, she killed them all. She didn't want to though." "Good, good. But listen, enemy patrols are everywhere. You have to move slowly and silently. But the shortest and least guarded route is on the roof." "Okay, got it Gene. I'll head for the roof. Syaoran out." Syaoran climbed a staircase to the roof on the West side.  
  
Meanwhile, Sakura was sneaking silently through the East side. She did everything she could to stay hidden with the guards constantly rushing by. She would hide under desks, crawl over metal catwalks, hide in crates, whatever she could to remain out of site. But eventually, she came to a long hallway. She pressed her back against the corner and looked back. No guards in sight, so she made a run for it. At the end of the hall, she came to a corner. She ran around it without a second thought, but soon regretted it. A fleet of guards was lying in wait. They fired immediately at her, sending a barrage of bullets at her. Sakura screamed as she ran back around the corner. The guards quickly followed behind her, opening fire around the corner. Sakura fired back, but she missed. She quickly jumped out the door and found herself in the center yard. She ran in the direction she came from, trying to stay low to avoid being seen by the guards inside, but they came through the door too and once again fired. "Dammit, I'm not having much luck with these guards." She jumped to the ground and crawled behind a corner of the wall. She was trapped again. She tried to get out, but the guards kept firing. She couldn't go anywhere, and the guards came closer. A few seconds later, the guards walked out in her view and moved closer. She got up on her knees and put her hands in the air. She could see the guards smiling evilly. "That's a good girl. Just surrender yourself, and we won't hurt you… much more than usual." The leader of the guards said. Suddenly, a barrage of bullets shot all of the guards down from behind. A radio transmission came through. "I thought you could use some help, Sakura." It was Syaoran. "Where are you?" She asked. "Take a look on the roof on the west side." Sakura looked up, and there was Syaoran waving, sitting on a gatling gun. Sakura blushed; luckily, she was too far for Syaoran to tell. She giggled, "Thanks Syaoran! Now let's move!" They both got up and ran.  
  
Gene, meanwhile, was silently hiding in the kitchen, behind a stack of kitchen utensils. He stood up to check his surroundings, when a guard spotted him. He fired an arrow that hit it's mark, but not before the guard fired into the air, alerting the other guards to their presence. Seconds later, a whole team of demons was hot on his tail. He jumped over the counter in the kitchen and ran into the hallway. He kept running as fast as he could. When he saw his chance, he slid under a desk in an office. He saw the feet of the soldiers as they past. When they were gone, he made his way to the stairs. But when he got to the next floor, he heard the footsteps of the soldiers back on his tail. He ran around a corner, with the guards close behind. But when he came around the corner, he found himself running beside Syaoran, with his own trail of guards. "Rough time, huh?" Gene said running at full speed. Syaoran eyed the room ahead. It was a fuel storage area. He grinned and said, "I have a plan. We'll lose them all at once!" He sprinted ahead and stood before a stack of fuel barrels. He dropped to one knee and with the other foot he knocked the stack of barrels down, sending them rolling towards the guards in pursuit. He pulled out his handgun and fired at the barrels. They were right in front of the barrels when the bullets hit the barrels, erupting in a sea of flames. "I'm impressed." Gene said. "No time for that, let's go!"  
  
Sakura was also being tailed. She was running through an empty building on the second floor of the prison. The room was still under construction, with a lot of the floor covered barely by planks of wood. The entire bottom floor was visible around the small boards. Sakura ran as fast as she could over the small coverings. At one point, she lost her footing and fell face first on the board. She felt the board cracking under her weight. She looked down, and saw that it was at least 20 feet down and nothing but solid concrete. She couldn't fall. She jumped up as fast as she could and ran out of the room. "That was too close…" She said while wiping the sweat off her forehead. That's when the soldiers reached the section of the boards Sakura had weakened. The boards snapped as the guards fell to the bottom floor.  
  
Syaoran was having his own problems. He leaned around a corner, firing at the approaching guards. He kept firing, until he noticed he was out of bullets. "Dammit, not now!" He turned and ran. He ran as far as he could, when he heard talking coming from a room. He peered in. Two guards were lazily talking while looking out the window to the courtyard.  
  
"Hey, are you sure we shouldn't go help those guys? I mean, the heroes sound pretty tough. They did kill Rosaria, David, and the warrior in the volcano." The second one replied, "Nah. The Galactic Heroes are a couple of wimps. I'd like to see them right here in this room right now. I'd take 'em both on at once, with one arm tied behind my back. I could whip 'em down to nothing." Syaoran tapped them both on their shoulders. When they turned their heads, he sent them both to dream land with one punch. Then he "relieved" them of their ammunition and headed off.  
  
Sakura was standing in a small room littered with computers. She grabbed her radio. "Gene? Can you hear me? It's Sakura." "Gene here. What's up?" "I think I found the security room." "Excellent. I'm outside the hall that leads to the prisoners. I just have to wait for Syaoran to power down the locks first. Now, you need to plant the C4. Just stick it to the computers and hit the button on the left-side of the explosive." She placed it on the terminal and pressed the button. "Now what?" "…Wait, Sakura, did I say left or right." "Left." "…GET OUTTA THERE!" Sakura didn't ask why, but she ran. Just as he fled the room, there was an explosion that sent her tumbling on the ground, eventually making her land upside down against a wall. "…The left side is the 10 second timer… the right is the remote detonator… Sorry Sakura…" Sakura picked up her radio. "Do me a favor, Gene. Don't tell me how to use another weapon ever again." That's when the alarm finally shut off. "Alright, the security system is down. I'm going in. Head for the courtyard, Sakura." "Alright, Sakura out." She put away her radio and headed for the courtyard.  
  
Syaoran was approaching the power generator. He spotted the turbines when he peeked around the corner. But it was heavily guarded. A row of guards stood at the entrance to the room with the generators. The door to the small room where the computers that controlled the power was guarded too. Syaoran got an idea. He grabbed a small grenade from his pocket that he had taken from the guards earlier on. He sat hidden in a stack of crates when he tossed the grenade down the hallway and ducked out of sight. When it exploded, the guards ran quickly from their posts to investigate. Syaoran jumped up from crates and pulled out his second and last grenade. He tossed it in the computer room and ducked behind the crates again. When the guards returned, Syaoran listened in. "Another false alarm. I'm so sick and tired of—" BOOM! The grenade exploded, destroying the computers that controlled the power regulation. The lights dimmed and shut off. Only the slight moonlight and the flames from the explosions lit the hallways. Syaoran grabbed his radio. "Mission complete. I've sabotaged the power." "Gene here. So I gathered. The power is out everywhere. The prisoners are out. I'm leading them to the courtyard now. But I tried to get in contact with Sakura, but there was no response. Could you check on her?" "Alright. I'll check on her and head to the courtyard." He changed the frequency and called Sakura.  
  
"Sakura, can you hear me?" "…" "Sakura?" "…" "Sakura, come in!" "…" "Dammit, something's wrong. Hold on Sakura!" He ran eastward towards the security room where Sakura was just a few minutes before.  
  
As Syaoran ran through the halls, he heard a girl scream. "AHHHH! SYAORAN! GENE! HELP!" Syaoran panicked. "Oh no, she's in trouble. HANG ON! I'M COMING!" He ran around the corner and came into a large storage room with villains firing at Sakura who was hiding behind a crate. Syaoran rolled across the floor. "Thank God you're here Syaoran." She said in happiness. She hugged him hard. "I was running to the courtyard when I dropped my radio. It was smashed on the ground. I went to pick it up and see if it would work, but that's when a squadron found me and chased me in here. I also dropped my gun, so I thought I was a goner." Syaoran didn't say a thing. He just stood straight up and fired. He shot down each guard in a matter of seconds. "Well, you're safe now. They're all gone now. Let's hurry together." He said. "Okay, we'll go together." She replied.  
  
They ran to the exit, but as soon as they got in the doorway, a guard rolled out and fired. Syaoran gave a scream of pain and dropped his gun and fell to the floor. Sakura quickly reacted. She grabbed the drop gun and quickly shot the guard, who disappeared quickly.  
  
"SYAORAN!"  
  
To be continued… 


	25. The Village of Archers

Syaoran's been shot… What is gonna happen to him?!  
  
Chapter 25  
  
Sakura leaned down and picked up Syaoran's head. His eyes were full of tears. Sakura was panicking. "Syaoran! Are you alright?! What happened?!" Syaoran opened his eyes and slowly spoke. "Err… Dammit, this stings… that guard shot me right in my arm! I… I can't feel my arm!" Syaoran said. Sakura gasped in horror when she saw Syaoran's right arm. A bullet wound was right in his upper arm, and blood was flowing quickly from the wound. "Oh my God…" She gasped. Syaoran tried to get up, but Sakura sat him back down. "Don't move. You don't want to make the wound even worse." Syaoran once again tried to move, but dropped back down, groaning in pain. "Don't worry… I'll be alright… It's just a small wound. I'll survive. I'm sure within a few hours I'll be able to move my arm again." Sakura frowned. "I'm not so sure… Hold on." Sakura took off her black shirt and put it over Syaoran's arm. (Author's note: She had a white T-shirt on underneath. This will not turn into a hentai fan fiction!) She wrapped the shirt around his arm and tightened it. "This should slow the bleeding until we can get you some medical help." Syaoran smiled. "Thanks Sakura… for caring so much…" Sakura frowned. "Of course I care! You're my boyfriend!" Syaoran blushed. "Your… boyfriend?!" Sakura blushed even more. "Hoe… I meant best friend! Yeah… just that so many people have called us boyfriend and girl friend that… it sorta confused me." Syaoran looked almost disappointed, and deep down, he was.  
  
Sakura grabbed him by his left arm and slowly helped him to his feet. "Can you walk?" She asked. "Of course I can walk. I— Argh!" He crouched down in pain. "This is the most painful thing I've ever had happen to me…" Sakura began to cry. "I'm sorry… I wish I could do something to help you…" She hugged him. Syaoran smiled and ran his fingers on his left hand through her hair. "…You've already done more for me than anyone else ever could…" Sakura turned around and picked Syaoran up and put him on her back. "Huh? What are you doing?" He asked as she began to carry him. "I'm carrying you outside, of course, silly." And Sakura slowly walked with Syaoran on her back to the courtyard. She didn't see any more guards on the way. She opened the doors and saw Gene and many other people standing around him. They must be the villagers. They weren't moving. "Gene! It's me! Sakura! Syaoran had an accident and got shot in the arm. Let's get out of here and get him some help!" "…" Gene didn't answer. "What's wrong?" She asked. She walked forward and heard the click of the magazine of a handgun snapping in place and felt the cold metal barrel of a gun against her skull.  
  
"Welcome, Sakura. We've been waiting for you and your boyfriend Syaoran here for a while. Please stand over there with the rest of them." Sakura turned her head and saw the face of a demon staring back. He wore a tan military jacket covered in medals. He had a small black moustache and short brown hair. He had dark brown eyes, but they weren't kind and compassionate and warm eyes like Syaoran. They were cold and heartless eyes. The very look of them sent a chill down Sakura's spine. She obeyed and walked out in front of the prisoners. She gasped as she saw a line of soldiers with rifles aiming right at them. They were captured and unarmed. The soldier that had put the gun up to Sakura's head walked to the front line and held up a pair of backpacks in one hand, and the Clow Cards in the other. "You… have the Clow Cards?!" Sakura gasped in horror. "Yes, I sent some guards to search for them where they knocked you out on the beach and they came back with these. Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me. I haven't introduced myself. I am General Ganaly. I am the commander of all the troops here. Sadin created me himself to personally guide his troops around the world to invade and conquer countries, villages, anything that stands in our way. I'm also quite to warrior. I have never lost a fight ever, and I have been quite a few." He put the Clow Cards in the backpack and tossed it to Sakura. Sakura wondered why he was giving back the Cards. She set Syaoran on his feet and picked up the Cards; they were real. She looked confused. Did he not understand how powerful they are? No, he did. She looked around. Even if she used the most powerful of the Cards, there were so many guards, gattling guns, and other traps that if she tried, they'd all be killed in seconds.  
  
"However," he said, "I've always considered myself a history buff. Sadin gave me strict orders to kill both of you, but I can't resist this. You see, I've studied the history of many planets from other soldiers who have traveled to them. One of my favorite periods of any world has to be the ancient Romans. The idea of sending two men to battle each other to the death in a massive structure just for the entertainment of others is brilliant. So, I'll make a deal…" He pointed to Syaoran, who was holding his right arm, trying to keep the pain down. "If the boy, Syaoran I believe, can best me on the battlefield in hand-to-hand combat and with weapons, I'll let you and the villagers go. But if you fail, you all die. Do we have a deal?" Sakura stepped forward. "Syaoran can't fight! He was shot in the arm. He can barely get around, I doubt he would be able to fight you." General Ganaly rubbed his chin. "Is that so? I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Well, I guess then I'll just have to kill you all then. Adios, compadres." He raised his hands to signal the soldiers should fire. "WAIT!" Syaoran screamed out. "I don't care if I can't use my right arm. I'll fight you anyways!" The general laughed. "Fight a one armed man? That hardly seems fair… or fun. Sounds all of too easy." Sakura looked at him. "Syaoran, I'm not going to let you get hurt even more. You won't fight. I won't let you." Syaoran raised his voice. "Sakura, if I don't fight, we'll all die! At least this way, we have a chance! Besides, if I can't fight, who will?" Sakura turned towards the general. "I will fight you instead!" Syaoran, Gene, the soldiers, the villagers, and the general all gasped. "Sakura, you've gotta be kidding! No offense, but fighting isn't your thing. You haven't trained in karate since you were young like me." The general thought for a second. "To tell the truth, I've never fought a woman before. It might prove interesting. Okay, I've decided. I'll fight the bold lass here, though I'm not expecting much. Tomorrow at dawn, we shall fight here in the courtyard. The guards will take you back to your cells for now. And one more thing: If you try to escape, the prisoners will all die. Comprende, amiga?" Sakura picked up her backpack and a pair of armed soldiers led her and Syaoran back to the cells they had started in.  
  
They sat in silence for an hour in the same cells as before. Eventually, Syaoran broke out in anger. "Argh! I can't take it! What are you thinking?! Fighting a skilled soldier like him hand-to-hand?! He'll tear you to shreds! He's going to kill you right in front of me and then kill all of us… WHY?! Because you didn't want to see me get hurt any more?! I would give my life to save you, and now you're just going to throw that away and die in front of me?! Why?!" Sakura sat in silence for a minute, thinking about what he said. "You… would really give your life to save me?" She began to blush. Syaoran blushed too. "Well, yeah… But I don't want to ever see a woman die in front of me, especially if I could have prevented it. Especially a close friend like you. I just wish you'd let me fight instead. I can still win." That's when a brilliant idea hit Sakura. "Syaoran, you are going to fight out there tomorrow." Syaoran looked up. "You mean you're going to let me fight in this condition? That's not like you. I thought you'd say something like, 'Syaoran, I can't just sit back and watch. I have to do something!'" Sakura smiled and hid one of the Clow Cards behind her back. "Well, actually, I will be fighting out there, or at least it will LOOK like I'm fighting out there." Syaoran looked puzzled. "What the hell are you talking about?" Sakura stood up and looked out of the cell. "No guards around good." She showed the Card to Syaoran and he went pale. "You've gotta be kidding me. No way!" Sakura smiled. "Well, it's either this, or else you let little, defenseless me go out there and fight alone against that soldier…" Syaoran cursed under his breath. "Alright, alright, you've made your point. I'll do it, but I won't like it." He said frowning. "Great!" Sakura was holding up the Change Card smiling. "All we have to do is switch bodies with the Change Card and you'll be able to fight, right hand and all, and it will look like I'm fighting, but you'll be the one who really is!" Syaoran frowned and blushed. "But there are a couple of problems: First, my arm… you'll feel all the pain I'm in right now." Sakura frowned too. "I guess so… but it can't feel much worse than being killed by that demon out there." Syaoran nodded his head. "I guess so… but, what about strength? No offense, but I'm a lot stronger than you. I'm not sure I could take him down in your form." "Well, that's true, but I'm faster than you are, so you would be able to attack faster." Syaoran sighed and blushed some more. "Well, this last reason… it's kinda embarrassing but… I'm a guy, and you're a girl…" Sakura blushed too. "Well, uh, I guess we'll just have to find out what it's like to be the other… just for a little while. We'll just have to pay that price. Come on, let's just do it while the guards aren't looking."  
  
Sakura grabbed the staff and tossed the card in the air. They stood next to each other at the bars. "CHANGE CARD! SWITCH MY AND SYAORAN'S BODIES!" A green chain surrounded both of them and enveloped them in light. When the light died down, they looked at each other. "It worked!" Sakura screamed, jumping up and down in Syaoran's body in Syaoran's voice. But he quickly stopped and held his arm in pain.  
  
(Author's note: Sakura and Syaoran will remain like this throughout the chapter, maybe into a few others. I will refer to Sakura as 'him' and Syaoran as 'her.' I hope this clears up any confusion in what is sure to be a confusing chapter, since people will refer to them as who they look like, while S+S will refer to each other by who they really are.  
  
Example: Sakura put his hands on his hips.  
  
Syaoran covered her mouth.  
  
This sounds weird, but it's the only way I can think of that works.)  
  
Syaoran couldn't believe her eyes, even though he knew what was going to happen. "Are you okay Sakura? …Or are you Syaoran now and I'm Sakura?" She said in his old voice. They were able to sound like both their old selves and like each other. They had decided to talk like their old selves when they were alone and to sound like each other in public. Sakura took his hand off his shot arm and said, "No, I'm fine. And you can call me Sakura still, but just call me Syaoran when we're in public. But this is weird… I feel tall." Syaoran frowned. "I feel weird… I never knew being a girl would feel like this. Not that I ever really was trying to find out." Sakura giggled. "Aww… you look so cute pouting like that!" Syaoran growled. "…I don't wanna be cute… Sakura, are you sure this will work? Don't you think they'll notice we don't act like we normally do?" Sakura smiled. "Normally, yes, but these guards don't know us. They won't notice the difference! But tell me, what do you think of my body?" Syaoran blushed. "W-w-what do you mean?" "I mean, do you think you'll be able to fight in my body?" Syaoran sighed in relief and ran around her cell for a minute, threw a few kicks, and did a back flip. "Well, it feels very different, but I think I can do it. I don't have as much force, but…" He did another flip in the air. "I'm agile enough to make up for it." Sakura's jaw dropped. "How did you do that?! I could never do those things, even when I had my own body, but now you can do them right off the bat?" "Well, a lot of this is mental stuff. Concentration and practice. If you had been practicing like me, you'd know how to." Sakura sighed. "Hoe…" Syaoran frowned. "…I don't say 'hoe,' so try to avoid saying that."  
  
A guard walked in carrying a plate of bread and water. "Alright, here's your last meal. Enjoy it while you can. Because this will be the last thing you'll ever eat." Syaoran threw her fists in the air. "I doubt it. I'm going to win tomorrow! I'm gonna enjoy crushing your precious leader!" He said in Sakura's voice. The guard gave her a weird look. He thought, "Is this the same girl who was acting so innocent outside? What's with her? These guys are nuts." He gave them their food and left. As Syaoran ate her bread, Sakura spoke up. "You know, if you're going to act like me, try not to threaten so much. And don't act like you want to fight." Sakura bit into a piece of his bread. Syaoran burned red in embarrassment. "Heh… sorry. I guess I got carried away. Sorry, I should have realized you wouldn't talk like that." Sakura smiled. "That's okay. I'm not doing much better. I never realized being a guy would be so…" Syaoran coughed in an attempt to interrupt him. "Well, why don't we try to get some sleep? We're gonna need to rest for tomorrow." She said. "Okay, Syaoran. My, I mean your, arm is starting to hurt pretty bad. I'd just like to go to sleep too." He said. And they sat down in the corners and fell asleep. (As soon as they got over the thought of they were looking at themselves in someone else's body.)  
  
Sakura was the first to wake up. He stood up and looked out the window. It was just a small window that barely showed anything, but it gave him a small view of the courtyard. Sakura saw the general standing out in the field, already waiting impatiently. Sakura turned and looked at Syaoran. He… err… she was sleeping silently against the wall, not thinking about the danger that was ahead. A million thoughts raced through her mind. Was she doing the right thing? Was it right for Syaoran to fight for her? What if Syaoran was hurt? "I don't think I could take it… if he, I mean she, were to get hurt, it would all be my fault…" He said quietly to himself. "It's my fault he's even in this situation. I should have known better than to even want to fight…" Syaoran began to wake up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Is that you, Sakura?" Sakura frowned. "Yeah, it's me. I was just thinking. I didn't mean to wake you up." "It's alright, Sakura. I would've woken up soon, anyways. What were you thinking about?" Sakura turned away. He couldn't stand to look at Syaoran's (or was it his own?) emerald eyes. "I was thinking it's all my fault, that we're even here right now. If I hadn't been a klutz and dropped my radio, I would've been outside and you wouldn't have been shot. Then we might not have been captured. Plus, I'm sure you didn't want to be a girl. I shouldn't have forced you… I shouldn't have been a coward and just fought my own damned self and not make you fight instead." Syaoran frowned. "Don't say that. It's not your fault. For all we know, if you hadn't come out late, we would have been shot early. And I know I was shot, I'm sure you can feel it. But it wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have been so hasty and rushed in like that. Plus, if it weren't for you, that guard would have fired again, and I wouldn't be here right now. I'd be dead. And I'll admit it: I'm not thrilled to be a girl. But it's a small price to pay if we get out of here alive." Sakura was silent. A guard walked in. The two heroes quickly changed their voices to their respectable bodies.  
  
"Alright you two: Let's go. The time is for the battle is now."  
  
They were led out to the courtyard. Sakura, Gene, and the villagers sat against a wall surrounded by armed guards. Syaoran was standing face to face with the general in the center. "I'm surprised you're still willing to fight, little girl." The general said smiling. All else was silent, but the wind blew, throwing Syaoran's now-long hair in the wind. "I'm no little girl." Syaoran said coldly. "Ah, but that is where you are wrong. To me, everyone is little. I've killed men twice my own size with my bare hands. So you're nothing but a little girl to me." Syaoran stood in a karate stance, ready to begin. "Fair warning, I'm not going to ho easy on you just because you're a mere general." The general stood similarly. "And I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a girl."  
  
It was perfectly silent, until Gene leaned over towards Sakura, not realizing it was actually her, and said, "Are you sure about this? I know you're not exactly in fighting condition, but I think you'd fare better. Sakura hasn't even fought like this before has she? Sakura thought, "What would Syaoran say? Ummm… I know!" She frowned. "I know, but he'll do alright. Syaoran knows what he is doing. He has a plan." Gene raised one eyebrow. "Did you say Syaoran has a plan? Are you sure you weren't hit in the head or something? Sakura's out there, not you." Sakura blushed. "Oh, right. I meant Sakura. I… I'm just kinda nervous. I'm not thinking straight. Hoe…" "Hoe? Isn't that what Sakura's always saying?" Sakura blushed even worse. "Uhh… no, I said 'how?' How can we be here? I'm still in shock a little bit." Gene had a sweat drop roll down his head. "Right…" He went back to watching Syaoran stare down the general. Sakura slapped himself on the forehead. "Oh boy, did I manage to screw that up. Get it straight Sakura! You're Syaoran, Syaoran is Sakura, and don't say hoe!"  
  
The general gave a smug smile to Syaoran. "Well, let's begin. Have at you!" The general charged and threw a fist at Syaoran who quickly dodged the blow to one side. The general was surprised. He his head to the side to see Syaoran smiling with her hair blowing in the wind in the light of the sunrise. "So… you know a little fighting yourself. This may prove more interesting than I thought." Syaoran said nothing but lifted her leg and quickly brought it down on the general's back, sending him face first to the dirt. "Still think I'm a little girl?" He said mockingly.  
  
The soldier's, Gene's, and the villager's jaws all dropped at once. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Sakura… I mean Syaoran, was not only staying in the fight, but also winning. Gene finally overcame his speechlessness and said, "Where the hell did she learn to fight like that?!" Sakura smiled. "Oh, she picked it up here and there…"  
  
The general picked his face up out of the dirt. "Heh, so you are good. But not good enough!" The general quickly got into a seated position and did a sweeping kick, causing Syaoran to land flat on her back. The general followed up by jumping into the air, ready to land feet first on Syaoran's face, but Syaoran rolled back and got to her feet and kicked the general right between the eyes when he landed. "Ow… you little… okay, no more warm ups." The general quickly recovered. He charged and with lightning speed punched Syaoran in the gut, and then quickly in the face, sending her flying back into the dirt. Not satisfied with that, he lifted her with one hand and kicked her repeatedly in the thigh. He threw her to the ground and sprang back. When Syaoran got up, he immediately charged and tackled her to the ground again with great force. Syaoran coughed as a small amount of blood trickled down her face. The demon then sat down and began to punch her in the face constantly. The villagers, Gene, and especially Sakura were horrified at the screams. Eventually, the general got up and laughed. "You know, it was actually tougher to beat you before when you were tied down in your cell." Syaoran lifted his head. "What did you say?!" The general cackled. "You're pathetic. It was harder to beat you when you were still injured, naked, and bloodied in your cell. You're so weak. Let's just finish this. GUARDS! Hand me my sword." At that point, Syaoran's blood was boiling. This was one of the men who had beaten Sakura, lied to her and told her he was dead, and left her in those God-forsaken cells. He couldn't take it any longer. He stood up and wiped the blood off her face. "Hand me a weapon." She said snarling. A guard walked up and handed her a small black rod, probably about 3 feet in length. Meanwhile, the general held a 2- foot sword double-edged sword. The general smiled evilly. "I hope you plan on using that for something else, because it won't help you beat me with this beauty, my weapon of choice." Syaoran grinded her teeth. "Shut up and fight, coward." He didn't give his foe time to respond. He charged and smashed one end of the pole into the general's foot, and used that to propel her foot into the air and into the side of the general's head. Before the general could hit the dirt, Syaoran jumped behind him locked him into a chokehold. There he pummeled the general's face with a flurry of punches. "This will teach you to hurt Sakura!" The general thought to himself, "Sadin almighty… she's gone insane!" Syaoran wouldn't stop her relentless attack. She picked the general up and utterly did everything she could. She smashed his face with her foot and sent him tumbling to the ground. She beat him with her rod. She punched him in the gut. Finally, she grabbed the back of his neck, and dropped, snapping his neck and causing him to fall to the ground. Syaoran grabbed the general's sword and held it at his neck. "You lose."  
  
The villagers all cheered as they jumped in the air. The guards looked on in anger and disgust. The villagers charged forward and all gathered around Syaoran. "You've saved us Sakura!" "Way to go!" "What a girl! Who knew she could fight like that?!" Syaoran blushed. Sakura ran up next and hugged her. "You fought so well! Congratulations, 'Sakura.'" Syaoran smiled. "Heh, thanks, 'Syaoran.' But to tell the truth, you'd make a pretty good fighter. Your body…" He brought it down to a whisper. "It's pretty fast. It was pretty easy fighting." Sakura blushed. "Come on, I just don't have the fighting spirit. Sakura hugged her again and Syaoran dropped her sword. The general reached and grabbed it and stood up, aiming at Syaoran. It seems I have the advantage now, little girl. Okay men, you may fire when ready." The guards shoved the prisoners to the center in a group. Sakura shouted, "What the hell are you doing? Sakura beat you fair and square. You promised you'd let us go!" The general grinned. "Here's a lesson in life: Never trust a demon. Alright men, FIRE!" He lowered his arm and the sounds of gunshots rung out into the crowd…  
  
To be continued… 


	26. The Shrine Under the Sea, and Sakura's T...

Get your tissues ready, folks. This chapter is going to rip your heart out and step on it….  
  
Chapter 26  
  
Sakura's eyes widened as he heard what was happening. The guards all around them were firing. They had no protection, no shielding, and it was already too late to do anything. They were going to die.  
  
…And yet, they were safe. The bullets came traveling like normal towards them, but they all stopped in a golden flash around them. They all just stopped in one spot and a golden spot appeared with each shot. "What the hell?! What's protecting the prisoners?!" The general asked. "You, soldier." He pointed to a guard. "Go check it out." The rest of the guards still had their guns aimed at them. But as soon as the guard approached where the bullets had stopped, a shot of energy sent him flying back. The soldiers all gasped. Sakura walked forward and was suddenly stopped. He felt around. It was like there was an invisible wall. "What the hell is this?" Sakura asked.  
  
The sky grew dark. It was sunrise, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but the sky was turning pitch black. They all looked up. There, in the sky, were three silhouettes. It was impossible to tell who it was though. But quickly, a group of blue energy gathered in the sky below those figures. The light grew brighter and brighter. Suddenly, it began to slowly move towards the ground. Then in an instant, it struck in a flash. The light flew towards the ground and struck like lighting. All was bright around the barrier protecting the villagers. They could all hear the blood curdling screams, explosions, and tremors around them. When the light died down, everything was gone. The soldiers lie dead on the ground. The prison was in ruin. But the villagers, Gene, Sakura, and Syaoran were all fine. Syaoran asked, "What the hell happened?" Sakura blinked. "I'm… not sure… it looks like something shielded us while it… destroyed the prison… But who could've done this?!" Gene spoke up. "I don't know, but I hope we find out. He saved us all. Come on, let's figure this out later. Let's all go home. Our village is nearby by the ocean."  
  
As the villagers and their new friends walked to the village, three dark figures floated above the ruined prison. "Do you think it was wise of us to help her, Master? Aren't we supposed to be testing the girl?" "Normally, yes. But this is not the way it should be. We must help them defeat Sadin, then our real quest may begin. Then we shall see if she is truly worthy of the title, 'Mistress of the Clow.'" "If that is what you believe, them I will help… Eriol." There was a flash as a long staff with a golden sun and a golden moon on it pierced through the darkness, and the three figures disappeared…  
  
Sakura, Syaoran, and Gene were sitting on a tree stump just outside the village of the archers. It was a pretty average village. Small log houses littered the area. The villagers walked about, some carrying food, some working on constructing new buildings, and some were just exercising. "Thank you two. Without you, there is no way we could have escaped." Gene said to Sakura and Syaoran. "Hey, no problem. If it weren't for you, we'd still be rotting in those cells." Syaoran said. "Well, I still must reward you two for you're bravery. Is there anything we can do to help you?" Sakura smiled. "Well, you know we're the Galactic Heroes. We were on our way here when we were captured. We were hoping to gain access to the Ocean Shrine." Gene gasped. "You've gotta be kidding! You're in luck! We always are around it. Our main supply of food around here is fish, so we're always diving down to spear some. We've developed special clothes that let you breath underwater so we can stay down there all day and hunt! One of our village hunters recently came across what looked like some kind of ancient Greek ruins." "THAT'S IT!" Syaoran shouted. "Well, then I'll gladly lead you to it!" Gene said. "Great! We'll just—OW!" Sakura said as she grabbed his arm. "What's wrong?" Gene asked as Sakura sat down and unwrapped the t- shirt that had been around his arm. "Ugh… the bullet in my arm… it's acting up again… and I still can't move it." Oh dear… this isn't good. There's no way we can let you go down there like that. Not to scare you, but there are some rather unfriendly creatures down there. They would tear you apart. But you're in good hands! As a village of dedicated archers, we're used to seeing wounds like this. We'll take you to see the village doctor. He should get you back to normal within a few days. But first, let's go get that wound cleaned. You can take a in the tributary that dumps into the ocean. It should help clean it and get the dirt out. Plus, there's no salt in the stream." Sakura smiled. "Okay, I've been meaning to take a bath anyways. I haven't in days. I gotta think I smell pretty bad." Gene stood up and pointed in one direction. "The streams down that way. Let me get you a change of clothes, first. I'll be right back." Gene ran off in one direction, leaving Sakura and Syaoran alone.  
  
"Umm… Sakura?" Sakura looked up and turned his voice back to his old voice. "Yes? What's wrong, Syaoran?" Syaoran blushed. "Ummm… would you mind if we could go back to our old bodies now?" Sakura looked puzzled. "What's the rush? Don't like being a girl?" Syaoran blushed even worse. "Well, it's not like I have something against girls. And I suppose it's not everyday I get to actually be one…. But…" "But what?" "Well, if you are going to take a bath, you'll be using MY body…" Sakura blushed too. "Oh… I see… I guess… well, alright." He reached into his backpack and pulled out the Key and the Change Card. Sakura tried to release the staff… but failed. "What's wrong with this thing? RELEASE!" Still came no response from the Key. "Umm, Sakura? Maybe I need to summon the staff. After all, I'm in your body." "I guess so. I should have thought of that…" He handed Syaoran the key and the Card. "RELEASE!" Syaoran summoned the staff and threw the Change Card into the air. She changed her voice to Sakura's. "CHANGE CARD! CHANGE US BACK TO OUR FORMER SELVES!" Syaoran twirled the staff around like Sakura did and hit the Card with the staff. A familiar green light surrounded them and died down. When it did subsided, Syaoran smiled. He was back in his old body.  
  
(Author's note: Now all of the pronouns 'he' and 'she' will go back to normal. Syaoran is officially he, and Sakura is she again.)  
  
"Yes! I'm back to normal!" He said. Sakura looked almost disappointed. "Actually, I'm gonna miss being tall…" Syaoran grabbed a cheery blossom from the tree above them and put it in Sakura's hair. "Well, I guess you're going to have to just be the cute one again!" Sakura turned bright red as she played with the cherry blossom in her hair. "Ummm… you really think I'm cute?" Syaoran blushed too when he realized what he said. "Ummm… well… kinda… But didn't you say I was cute when I was in your body in prison? I thought that meant you thought you were cute so…" Sakura giggled. "Syaoran, you'll always be cute, especially when you're embarrassed!"  
  
She quickly sat up and gave Syaoran a quick kiss on the cheek. Syaoran's face exploded in redness. "Oh, umm… err… I uhh… thanks, I guess…" Sakura giggled and blushed. "Aww, you're so cute when you're like that!"  
  
"Hey! I'm back!" Gene said carrying some clothes with him. "I thought maybe you'd want to take a bath too, Sakura, so I brought you… some… ummm. Why are you two so red?" Sakura said, "Well, it's nothing, really…" Gene smiled; he knew what was going on. "Heh, you two make a cute couple." Syaoran quickly jumped to his defense. "We're not a couple! We're just friends! Why does everyone keep saying that?!" Gene laughed. "Probably because you two just look like it. Anyways, you should get down to the stream and clean that bullet wound before it gets infected. There are some walls we've set up there specifically for bathing for men and for women, so you don't have to worry about bathing together… unless you WANT to…" Gene said with a mocking tone. "Ummm… I don't think so." Syaoran said, grabbing his clothes and walking off with Sakura in tow.  
  
About an hour later, Syaoran walked out of the doctor's house, with Sakura waiting for him outside. Syaoran was dressed in a green short-sleeved shirt and dark brown pants with a light brown pair of boots. Sakura wore a light pink and loose t-shirt, blue jeans, and flat leather shoes. "How did it go, Syaoran?" Syaoran grabbed his right arm in pain. He pointed to a bloody bandage around his arm. He lifted it, after days of not being able to move it all. "Well, the good news is, I can move it a little. The bullet was blocking a nerve, but it's not damaged that much. I should regain full control of my arm in a day or two." Sakura smiled. "Well, that's really good news! It means you haven't lost an arm. What could be bad?" Syaoran sighed and a sweat drop rolled down his head. "Well… they had to pull out the bullet with a pair of tweezers… with no painkiller… not one drop…" Sakura shuddered. "Ouch… I'm sorry…" Syaoran tried to smile. "That's okay. Remember, if you hadn't shot that guard, they might have had to pull some bullets out of more than just there. And they say that if you hadn't stopped the bleeding by cutting off the blood with your shirt, I would've bled to death a day ago. I should be thanking you. But I hope this can repay you: We're gonna be staying here for the next few days until my arm heals, so you can rest for a few days. No erupting volcanoes, no giant armies of demons, no swords, no guns, no magic, no freezing mountains, just a nice relaxing time." Sakura's face lit up and she hugged Syaoran. "Ow! Ow! Watch the arm!" Syaoran screamed. "Oh, sorry Syaoran, but thanks! I'm gonna enjoy this!" And she ran off to start her small vacation.  
  
The next two days were very peaceful. Sakura just rested on the beach during the day, ate her fill, and just had fun. She finally had some time off. Syaoran did a lot of the same things with Sakura, enjoying their time together, though he had to be careful with his arm. They could finally rest without worrying about demons sneaking up on them, starving half to death, giant warriors with a blood lust, or any shrines to be destroyed. Tanning on the beach, swimming in the ocean, they even tried a little horseback riding on the workhorses who plowed the farmer's fields. Then the third day came.  
  
They were walking out of their guest cottage, having just eaten breakfast, when they saw the doctor waiting for them outside. The doctor was an old, dark skinned, gray haired, but kindly old man. He spoke in a quiet and shaky voice. "So, Syaoran, how is your arm today? Any improvement? I hope you've been resting enough." Syaoran smiled and whirled his arm around in a circle. "The pain is gone, and I've regained most control. It still feels a little stiff, but it should be fine. I should be able to work with it." The doctor gave a light smile back. "Good, good. Then I'd say you're perfectly fine. You can resume you're quest whenever you want." When Sakura heard that she held onto Syaoran's left arm and sighed. "But I wanna stay here on vacation! It's so much fun!" A sweat drop rolled down Syaoran's head. "Sakura, have you forgotten about Sadin and what he's done? If we're going to reverse it, we gotta keep going, okay? I don't want to hear any whining about going. You are the one who first accepted the mission from Mia, remember?" Sakura frowned. "Actually, I said we had no choice, you are the one who actually accepted it officially. But speaking of Mia… I wonder how she and Tomoyo are. Kero and Yue too. We haven't seen them since we left the Mage Village." Syaoran looked her in the eyes. "I'm sure they're fine. They can hold their own. Let's just go." Sakura sighed and nodded. They started to walk towards the ocean when they heard a familiar voice.  
  
"Hey! Sakura, Syaoran, wait up!" It was Gene running up from behind. He was carrying some sort of blue rags in his hands. "You're going to need these!" He handed a pair of rags to them. "Just wear these on top of your normal clothes and you won't need to breathe underwater, and you can swim to any depth without fear of pressure. It's made of a special material that absorbs oxygen in the water and actually pushes it through your clothes and through your skin into your blood, so you won't really breathe, you just won't need to. Sadly, it won't help you talk. You'll just have to communicate through hand signals." Syaoran held his shirt up. It was made of a fine, stretchy rubber-like substance, but it was about half the size of his normal shirt. "Kinda small, isn't it?" Gene sighed. "Yeah, but what do you expect? If it is going to push the air through it into your blood, it's gotta be close to your skin. Luckily, these shirts should supply you with enough air. And lastly, just make sure they don't come off. It would be catastrophic. And happy hunting. The shrine should be about a half a mile to your right. Well, I gotta go. See ya!" And Gene ran off. They slipped their special breathing suits over their clothes and jumped in to the water. The feeling was indescribable. They weren't breathing, but it didn't feel like they needed to. It was like being on land, only if humans didn't need to breathe to survive.  
  
The view was spectacular. All around them were colorful fish and beautiful coral reefs. Sakura's emerald eyes lit up at the sight. She ran over to the corals and stood in wonder of all the colors. It was even more magnificent than the old exhibits at the aquarium she used to visit. Sakura noticed a strange looking fish floating just in front of her. She reached out a finger to touch it out of curiosity, and the fish puffed up in a cute little ball of spikes. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked to see Syaoran pointing. He waved his arms to signal her to follow him. The leaped off a small cliff and landed safely on another coral bed. Why was Syaoran so eager to get down there? Then a shadow loomed overhead. Sakura looked up to see the dark shadow of a shark swimming where they stood just seconds before. They now stood in even more reefs. They were covered in sea urchins and starfish. It was very beautiful. Syaoran grabbed Sakura's arm and led her through the ocean depths, otherwise she'd stand around and stare at the fish all day. Eventually, Syaoran pointed out the shrine. It was very similar to the previous shrines. Large pillars covered in seaweed and algae held up a triangular roof. It was surrounded by art and sculptures representing water. Statues of the God Neptune, portraits of the sea, and other such things. At one end, stood the statue. It was a beautiful mermaid with long hair sitting on a rock holding a bowl of light, as usual. Sakura reached into her pants pockets. She kept a magic-absorbing stone and the Clow Cards there. (Luckily, the water wouldn't damage the Cards.) They swam over to the statue, and dropped the stone in. They quickly swam back to the entrance, and watched the statues, pillars, and floor all collapse in a silent rumble. However, they were confused. The shrine was gone, but every time before they tried to destroy one, someone stopped them before they could. Had Sadin run out of guards for his shrines?  
  
…A few moments later, something began to stir under the rubble. A moment later, a huge, ugly fish charged through the debris and lunged at them. They swam to one side and got a good look at it. It was hideous. It had large purple scales and long, pointy teeth jutting out of it's mouth. The fins on the sides of it were claw-like in design. It was the perfect underwater weapon. It turned again and charged towards them, with it's giant mouth open, trying to swallow them. Sakura got an idea. She couldn't talk, so she pushed Syaoran back and grabbed her staff. "RELEASE!" She thought as the staff appeared in her hands. She grabbed a Clow Card and put it in front of her. She thought to herself, "FREEZE CARD! SEND A WAVE OF ICE AT MY ENEMY!" The water immediately in front of Sakura froze, keeping the fish in a block of ice. Syaoran swam next to her and surveyed what she did. He patted her on the shoulder and smiled. She smiled back, but then felt a shiver go down her spine when she got a good look at it. What really horrified her was not it's teeth or size, but it's eyes. They glowed a fierce red, just like the Dragon in her dreams, and the gems on the knife that had cut her face. What did it all mean? But there was little time to worry about that. The ice began to crack, and the fish burst out. Syaoran grabbed Sakura and pushed her to the ground before diving to one side. Syaoran unsheathed his sword and charged. When the fish charged again, he dived again and swung at the fish. However, the sword bounced off the fish's rock hard scales. Syaoran wasn't sure what to do. Sakura came up with another idea. She grabbed another card and summoned it. "WATERY CARD! CREATE A WHIRLPOOL AROUND OUR ENEMY!" The water around the fish began to spiral around and disappear. The fish dropped to the ground as the water pulled away. The fish flopped helplessly on the ground as the whirlpool raged violently. Sakura swam over and dropped the ground. When she was in the open, she could finally say, "SWORD CARD!" As she readied to strike, the fish flopped towards her. It tried and swung it's sharp fin at Sakura, cutting Sakura in the stomach as Sakura gave a sharp howl of pain that even rang through the water, so even Syaoran heard it. Syaoran tried to scream "SAKURA," but he couldn't. He swam forward and watched in horror as the fish swung again. The shirts on her were cut off. She collapsed backwards on the ground. The special breathing suit was torn right off, and her normal shirt ripped off at the stomach. She was holding her stomach in pain. Blood flowed as the three cuts in her stomach bled. That's when the Watery Card gave out and the water poured back in again. Syaoran turned pale in horror. Sakura gripped at her throat, trying to breathe, but she was choking on the water. The fish was swimming upward, preparing for one last run, but Syaoran was more concerned with Sakura. He couldn't believe what he was seeing… it was too horrible.  
  
Sakura was in utter pain. The blood from her wound was turning the water around her red, but he could see her face turning blue. She grabbed her throat and was thrashing about. It was more than he could take. Sakura was going to drown. He swam as fast as he could to her and held her in his arms. She calmed down, but was still not in ease. Her emerald eyes, usually so full of hope and caring were full of fear and sadness. She put her slender hand on his face and moved her lips, though he couldn't hear, he knew what she was saying.  
  
"Good-bye…"  
  
Syaoran's heart smashed into a million pieces as he watched Sakura close her eyes. She no longer struggled. Her head floated gently in the water, very limp. Syaoran let go and her body floated to the bottom of the ocean floor, like an angel falling from Heaven to the ground…  
  
To be continued…  
  
Normally, with Eriol's appearance, this would be a happy chapter… but Sakura is drowning…  
  
……………………But… can she survive? ……… 


	27. Syaoran Says Good-bye...

Here is a short, but very touching chapter… Sakura is dead, floating to the bottom of the sea as Syaoran watches in horror…  
  
Chapter 27  
  
Syaoran was in utter shock and disbelief. It was unreal. He kept thinking to himself, "Wake up, Syaoran. This can't be happening! Sakura can't be dead! She can't! This is just some horrible dream! You'll wake up any minute and— no… this is real. This is no nightmare. Sakura is dead. She really is gone forever…" Syaoran began to cry, but his tears merely joined the endless sea. "SAKURA! SAKURA, WAKE UP! PLEASE!" He cried over in his mind. It was too surreal to handle and he began to lose it. "No, this can't be happening! I won't let it happen!" He thought to himself. That's when he saw Sakura lying motionless on the ocean floor. There was no doubt in his mind. This was real. As much as he hated to admit it, all of this was really happening. Sakura really was out of oxygen and sitting on the ocean floor. Her hair really was floating around her cold face, usually so warm and full of life. He didn't know what to think. First, he blamed himself. He thought he should have protected her. Then he turned to panic, wondering what he was going to do. But it all turned to anger in the end. Utter disgust coursed through his veins. "YOU BASTARD!" He thought to himself, as he looked at the huge monster looming above. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL DESTROY YOU! YOU'LL REGRET THE DAY YOU DID THIS! I WILL AVENGE SAKURA, OR DIE TRYING!" Syaoran had completely lost it and was full of pure hatred and apathy. He didn't care if he lived or died, only that he did something to avenge her.  
  
The huge guardian of the shrine began to swim straight down overhead of Syaoran. It opened its huge mouth and attempted to swallow him. Syaoran drew his sword with his whole arm trembling. His eye twitched as he swam straight towards the demon fish. The fish widened its mouth even more and swallowed Syaoran whole.  
  
The fish started to swim away in content, having slain the two heroes, when a sharp burst of pain came from its jaw. Syaoran had stabbed his sword right through the fish's lower jaw and brought it all around the fish's head and decapitated it. Syaoran emerged, covered in blood, from the now headless fish. He held a shining, clear stone in his hand. He slipped it in his pocket and looked down in disgust as the fish fell dying to the ocean floor. He wanted to swim down there and reach into the fish's chest and pull out its heart with his bare hands.  
  
…Because when the fish killed Sakura, that's what it did to him…  
  
Syaoran looked back to where Sakura lay on the ocean floor. He swam and sat down beside her. He put his palm up to her cheek and held her head up. No reaction came from Sakura. All of his anger and hatred turned to sorrow and remorse. He lifted her limp body in his arms and pushed off the ground, carrying her to the surface. If he had to say good-bye, he wanted to do it on dry land, where he could give her a proper funeral.  
  
Syaoran looked at her angelic face as he swam to the surface. He began to cry, with his tears being absorbed into the endless pool of water around him. He didn't know what to think. His mind stayed blank as he kicked his way to the surface. The light of the sun shimmered on the surface f the water, and in turn, shined brightly on Sakura's face. Syaoran's heart ached like never before. This had almost happened before, when Sakura was poisoned by the demon before those seven years ago. He finally reached the surface, and sat there for a moment. She had only drowned about two or three minutes before. He looked upon her face as the sun shined over it and the drops of water slid down her innocent face. He put her hand on her face and moved her hair away from her eyes. He slowly moved over to the sandy beach and sat her down. He reached over and plucked a handful of white flowers from the ground and put it in her hands. He again moved the hair from her eyes…  
  
…Those eyes… those shimmering emerald eyes… those eyes he could stare into for hours… he would never have the chance to look into them again. The whole scene played over and over again in his head. The scream, the look of horror on Sakura's face… it terrified him. He remembered what Tomoyo said. How she had to watch both Sakura and himself be killed, and her parents. He thought how he was being a coward. Tomoyo went through all that, and yet she remained herself… No… This was different… Tomoyo was great friends with both of them but… Syaoran realized it then and there.  
  
He loved Sakura.  
  
He loved her with everything he had. Every inch of his body loved her. He had never met anyone like her. And here she was lying, dead on the beach. The only person he can say he ever truly loved was dead next to him. He couldn't take the thought of it. The thought of losing her… "NO! Sakura, you can't die! Don't die! You can't! I… I can't go on living without you… I LOVE YOU SAKURA!"  
  
Syaoran couldn't believe he said what he just said. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was true. "I LOVE YOU SAKURA WITH ALL MY HEART!" Sakura still didn't even make the slightest sign of life. All of their memories of the future rushed back to him. Everything from Sakura holding him in the cemetery, to Sakura rescuing him from being shot again in prison, to… the kiss they shared in the fortress. He cherished them all deep down. But… would those be his last memories of her? He sat down next to Sakura with tears in his eyes. But his sadness turned quickly to anger. "ARGH! DAMMIT! YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME SAKURA! NO! YOU CAN'T! Just as soon as I figure out I love you, you die on me?! No! That's impossible! Dammit!" Syaoran screamed for a moment, but he regained control and his anger turned back to sadness. He began to bawl. His face turned red as the tears streamed down his face. He got as close to Sakura's face as he could and hugged her. He listened closely.  
  
She wasn't breathing.  
  
He put his head close to her chest.  
  
…Her heart, usually so strong and passionate…  
  
…had stopped…  
  
He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to think. But he had one thought that warmed him. He said to himself out loud, "Well, maybe now she can be at peace. Now more demons to chase her, no more Sadin, and… she will be with her father again… and she would meet her mother up in Heaven. …And maybe, just maybe, my sisters who as well would look after her in Heaven…" He just put her hands on her face and put his face down in the sand and cried his heart out. But one thing quickly caught his attention. Her face was still warm. Could she still be alive?! Could she be saved?! It was a long shot, but he'd risk everything.  
  
Syaoran lifted Sakura's head and put his lips to hers. He pushed all the air he could into her. He then pressed on her chest. He was performing CPR.  
  
He tried to force as much air into her lungs as he could. "BREATHE! Breathe, damn you!" He pressed down again. He was desperate. He tried as much as he can, praying for the best. He wouldn't stop trying to revive her until she woke up, or he passed out in exhaustion. Finally, his prayers were answered. Sakura began to cough up water and breathe. He listened carefully, and heard her heart beating. Sakura picked up her head slowly and opened her eyes slightly. "S-S-Syaoran? Is that you? How am I still alive?"  
  
Syaoran's eyes lit up. Sakura was alive. He was speechless. He lost control of himself and broke out in tears of joy. He grabbed Sakura's head and pulled it close. He put his lips to hers, but this time, he kissed her instead of giving CPR.  
  
Sakura was first hazy and didn't realize what was going on. But she quickly regained her senses and realized Syaoran was kissing her, tears flowing freely from his closed eyes. She was at first shocked to realize what he was doing, but soon forgot about that and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and enjoyed the kiss.  
  
The sun was setting behind them, over the wide ocean that nearly separated them forever. It was just a large red dot on the horizon falling into the sea. A gentle wind caressed them as they kissed for minutes on the beach, not having another care in the world. The waves crashed into them as the sun finally set and the stars began to appear. They still sat there in each other's arms, kissing, as the stars appeared overhead. It had taken them a long time to find the shrine and get back. But none of that mattered. They were still together, and that is all that mattered.  
  
After about five minutes of kissing, they finally stopped, and Syaoran wrapped his arm around her. They sat facing the ocean, staring up at the stars together. Sakura rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them said anything while they watched the stars. But then again… what they wanted to say was already said… just not in words…  
  
To be continued…  
  
HA! Did you really think I'd kill off Sakura? You knew I wouldn't right? …Of course not. But what did you think about all this romance? Everyone I ask now thinks I'm sorta romance nut because of it. :P Oh well, I've never had a girl friend. And Arigotou for the reviews! But the next chapter is the last of the pre-written chapters… 


	28. Return to the Village and The Final Shri...

Okay, so this is the last of my pre-written chapters. But fear not, I plan to have a new chapter up every three days or less, especially with Spring Break soon! But a lot of you were wondering about the gashes in Sakura's stomach, well, they're not that deep, and the sea water helped clean the wounds… but I'll address it more this chapter! Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 28  
  
They still sat there through the night staring at the stars, with Sakura's head on Syaoran's shoulder, and Syaoran's arm wrapped around Sakura. They noticed a shooting star streaking across the sky. They leaned closer to each other and turned and looked in each other's eyes. They saw the light of the Heaven's shining in them. They moved their heads slowly together and their lips were about to touch…  
  
"HEY! OVER HERE YOU TWO LOVE BIRDS!"  
  
Sakura and Syaoran were startled and fell backwards into the sand. They looked up and saw Gene standing over them laughing. "Aw, I'm sorry, did I ruin you two love birds little romantic moment?" He said laughing while laughing loudly. Syaoran took his arm off Sakura's shoulders. "How long have you been there?" He asked with his face turning red, as did Sakura's. Gene gave a somewhat cynical smile. "Since your first kiss, about an hour or two ago… I think it's so sweet…" Syaoran stood up and blushed even worse. "Hey, I wasn't kissing her, I was giving her CPR. Sakura almost drowned. We were attacked and Sakura's suit was ripped off. I needed to try and save her!" Gene laughed. "Well, you did give her CPR. I saw that. I was looking for you, since you had been gone for too long. I arrived just in time to see her wake up." Syaoran nodded. "See? I told you I was just giving CPR." Sakura added in, "Yeah, that's true. He revived me. I thought I was going to die, and I almost did. I felt my heart stop before I passed out."  
  
Gene suddenly frowned. "I see. It looks like your stomach is torn up a little bit, too." Sakura looked down and rubbed her exposed stomach. It was covered in blood, though not that heavily. "Oh… that's just where the demon guarding the shrine cut me. It's nothing. I don't even feel any pain." She said Gene added, "Well, when we get to the village later, we'll have the doctor decide how serious it is. But Syaoran, I have a question." Syaoran turned towards him. "Huh?" Gene smiled like a fox. "Tell me, I don't know CPR, but is it customary to hold the victim's lips to yours and hug them for five minutes AFTER he or she wakes up, and then spend two hours hugging each other while watching the stars?" Syaoran and Sakura stared at each other and blushed. "Ummm… heh… you see…" Syaoran stuttered. "Can't a guy just be happy to know his best friend didn't die right in front of him, and show it?" He said, with his face redder than ever. Gene laughed. "Uh-huh. Right. And what were you doing right when I interrupted just now?" He asked arrogantly. Sakura jumped in. "You know, my stomach really is starting to hurt. Do you think we can go see the doctor right now?" Syaoran quickly replied, as if to prevent Gene from replying. "You know, that's a really good idea! But, you know, you shouldn't walk in your condition! I'll carry you… really fast!" He scooped up Sakura in his arms and ran as fast as he could away from Gene.  
  
Gene just stood there smiling as Syaoran rushed towards the village. "Heh. They are easily the cutest couple I've ever seen. But they'll be even better when they finally admit they love each other! Maybe I'll just have to play matchmaker! This is better than the soap operas I used to watch!" He laughed out loud and walked off slowly behind Syaoran who was still sprinting.  
  
When Gene returned to the village, he saw a torch was still lit in the doctor's office. He knew Syaoran and Sakura must be inside. He peeked through the door, only to have Syaoran walk out moments later, inadvertently knocking him down. A sweat drop hung on Syaoran's head as he helped Gene to his feet. "Oh, sorry about that, Gene. But what do you mean by spying on us like that? Isn't it bad enough you accused us of… ummm…" "Being an adorable couple before? Heh. Sorry about that. It's just that there isn't much to do in this village. It's usually so peaceful and quiet, so I gotta get my entertainment SOMEWHERE. And I was only seeing how Sakura was doing." Syaoran turned away from him. "Sakura will be fine. The doctor is putting some bandages on her stomach now. The wounds aren't serious. They should be fully healed in less than a week." Gene rubbed his chin. "Say, if she's still in there, why'd you come out here? Don't you wanna be by her side? You know, like her real boyfriend?" A vein popped on Syaoran's face as he raised a fist. "SHE IS NOT MY GIRL FRIEND!" Then his anger quickly turned to embarrassment and he blushed. "And, well… I would like to be by her side… it's just that the demon fish that attacked her kinda tore open her shirt and… well, she needs a new one and--" "I get it. I get it." Gene interrupted. "But demon fish? What exactly happened down there?" Syaoran sat down in the dirt and told him the story of what had happened.  
  
"Wow. That's pretty amazing she actually survived an attack like that. I certainly wouldn't." Syaoran blushed. "Well, Sakura is tough. She's already gone through so much, but she's still her old cheerful self. She's been cut across the face, heard of her father's death, seen the graves of so many of her friends, frozen, burnt, and she's still herself. She's amazing." Gene smiled and leaned over and whispered to Syaoran, "You really like her, don't you? C'mon, just admit it!" Syaoran blushed again and waved his hands. "No! Really, we're just friends! We're very close, I'll admit that, and I feel I can trust her and she can trust me, but…" "But what?" Gene asked. "…" Syaoran couldn't think of an excuse. Gene just smiled and put his hand on Syaoran's shoulder. "Look, you just think about it, okay? It'll dawn on you. Look, I gotta get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. Just think about it." He stood up and walked off towards his cabin. At that moment, Sakura emerged from the doctor's office. Syaoran over heard the doctor talking to Sakura. "…And just try to take it easy for the next few days!" "Alright, I will, thank you doctor!" She turned her head and noticed Syaoran, and he stood up. "Thanks for being so patient, Syaoran." Sakura was wearing a very short blue top that ended just above her stomach, but a huge roll of bandages covered from the bottom of her shirt to her hips. The bandages were a little blood stained, but otherwise white as snow. "It figures…" She said with a sigh. "The day after I get that bandage off my head from being in prison, I need a new set of bandages." She sighed again. "Well, I think we've had enough excitement for one day. Why don't we go get changed out of these soaked clothes and go to bed? See you in the morning… oh… and thank you… for saving my life… again…" And Sakura walked off towards her cabin.  
  
Syaoran started to walk off when the doctor called out from behind the door. "Um, excuse me, young man. May I see you for a minute?" "Ummm… okay." Syaoran walked into the cramped office. "Now, young man, Syaoran was it? I want to talk to you about your young friend, Sakura. While I examined her, I noticed she was breathing very heavily and couldn't seem to get a very good breath. Did anything happen today? You never told me exactly what had caused these injuries. I'm very curious. I've never seen marks like them before." Syaoran turned away. "Sakura… almost drowned today. She was attacked by a huge fish and nearly drowned after it attacked. I got her back to the surface and gave her CPR." The doctor thought to himself for a moment. "Well, it's in my opinion that you did it just in the right amount of time. Judging by her inability to take a deep breath, a minute or so more and she wouldn't live to see the sunrise. If you hadn't rescued her as quick as you did, I'm not sure she would even be able to move very far on her own two feet if at all." Syaoran bowed to the doctor. "Thank you. I had no idea." And he left for his room. He changed and slid into his bed. But he couldn't sleep.  
  
He sat in bed, starring at the ceiling, thinking about what Gene had said to him. "You really like her! C'mon, just admit it! …Look, you just think about it, okay?" Syaoran thought about what he had done that day. He had almost lost Sakura, and finally realized he loved her. "Like her? I don't like Sakura… I… I love her…" He said aloud, with his face turning red. "I really do love her… but I can't tell her… What if she doesn't love me? No, how could she love me? It's not possible…" Syaoran heard a yawn from next door. "Syaoran? Is… yawn… that you talking in there?" It was Sakura. "Oh, sorry, I'm very sorry. I'll be quiet and let you get your rest. You've had a tough day. Just sleep." He answered back. "No, I should be thanking you…. You saved me… I owe you so much… I…" Sakura said, falling asleep before she could finish it. Syaoran just rested his head on his pillow again. He thought to himself, "Today, I almost lost her forever. But instead, I think I've gained something… something I could never have thought of… something…" He fell gently asleep before he could finish his thought.  
  
The giant, shadowy figure once again stood before Sakura. She was all alone in front of this huge terror. But suddenly, a series of colors flew around her. Then a streak of darkness plunged into the shadowy figure, almost holding it back. Then a streak of light flung through the darkness into the heart of the figure.  
  
Sakura woke up to see a bright light in her eyes. "Ugh… not another one of those dreams… what do they all mean? What are they trying to warn me of?" There was a knock on the door. "Sakura, are you awake? I thought I heard you talking." Sakura ran her hands through her hair to fix all of the knots in it. "Yeah, I'm awake. I just woke up, actually." She climbed out of bed and slipped on her leather boots. She headed down to the main hall where breakfast was always served to the families of the village. She grabbed some fruit and sat next to Syaoran and Gene who were talking already, while eating their breakfast. "Syaoran, do you know where we are going next?" She asked as she sat down. Syaoran said, "That's what I've been talking to Gene about. Remember what Mia told us? She said the last shrine was located in the sky above the Mage Village. How are we going to get there? Especially in your condition…" "In my condition? I'm fine! My stomach doesn't hurt. I'll be fine. But… I know how we'll make it to the shrine! We'll use the Fly Card!" Syaoran thought to himself. "We'll that's true. I thought of that, but one thing still puzzles me. Every place we've gone to has been hidden, in a place we normally couldn't survive on out own or something like that. Why would he make the last shrine so easy to get into?" Sakura smiled. "I don't know, maybe he's run out of good ideas for traps. Let's just go!" Gene smiled as he pulled out a map. "According to this map, the Mage Village is directly south of here. If you traveled by foot, it would take about two days to get there. But by air, it would just be a matter of hours." Sakura smiled. "Alright! This whole journey will be over very soon, then! Let's go!" Sakura grabbed her backpack and Syaoran's and ran outside. She reached into a backpack to get the Cards. "Hoe?" She pulled out something out. "What's this?" She held up a crystal clear diamond-like stone. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I found one of those stones that the demon leaders drop after they die. It was inside that giant fish." Syaoran said walking outside. "Oh, good! I wonder what these are for… but anyways, let's go! We can finally see Tomoyo, Mia, Kero, and Yue again!"  
  
She pulled out the Key of Clow and held it in her hands. "RELEASE!" A brilliant light flashed and the staff grew to full size. She tossed a card in front of her and hit it with the staff. "FLY CARD!" The staff grew it's wings and Sakura hopped on. Syaoran got on right behind her and held on. Sakura took off as Gene ran out waving. "GOOD BYE! COME BACK ONE DAY! AND SYAORAN, JUST KEEP THINKING ABOUT WHAT I TOLD YOU!" Sakura looked confused. "Syaoran, what did Gene mean by that?" She asked. Syaoran blushed. "Umm, err… I don't know. Let's just go."  
  
And together they flew off to the fifth, and final shrine in the sky.  
  
To be continued… 


	29. Angel Wings and Old Friends

Well, I promised to get a new chapter out soon, and I did. Now that Spring Break is here, I can update constantly, so enjoy!  
  
Oh, and to answer Sakura Lover's question, yes, they are quite dense. They love each other very much, but don't realize it that much…  
  
  
  
Chapter 29  
  
They were flying through the sky on the Fly Card when the final shrine came into view. Sakura gasped, gawking at its size. Syaoran tried to see, but Sakura's hair was blowing in his face. He pulled her hair away and got a good view of it. It was a huge tan castle. It wasn't at all like the past shrines. They couldn't even see the end of it. It was just a huge endless wall of towers. It was like it was out of the middle ages, made right out of tan bricks on top of what looked like a floating black and brown rock. It was just sitting there among the clouds. Below it, Syaoran spotted the Mage Village. "Sakura, that thing is huge! Why don't we head down to the Mage Village before we take it on? You know, to prepare." Sakura turned her head, still steering the Fly Card. "Good idea, but let's just check out the shrine from the outside first? You know, just to see if we can spot a weakness?" Sakura picked up speed and flew towards the giant structure.  
  
Things were going pretty smoothly, when the wind began to increase and push them back. Syaoran yelled above the roar of the wind, "SAKURA! SLOW DOWN! I CAN'T HOLD ON LIKE THIS!" Sakura turned her head back. A look of concern was on her face. "I'M NOT GOING FAST! THE WIND IS DOING THIS ON ITS OWN!" They held on for life. "SAKURA! SOMETHING IS WRONG. LET'S LAND." "ALRIGHT." Sakura began to move slowly towards the ground when the clouds around them darkened. They could see something they never would have expected. It looked like a black tornado was right below the castle, suspending it in the air. "THAT MUST BE THE SKY RIFT MIA TOLD US ABOUT." Syaoran shouted. But then the winds picked up again, and Sakura was blown off the staff. She smashed into Syaoran who fell off as well, and the two of them went tumbling down to the ground as the staff followed, with the ground hundreds of feet below them.  
  
Syaoran looked over to see they were tumbling head over heels in the air towards the ground. There wasn't a one in a billion chance either of them would survive a fall from that height at full health, and Sakura was still bandaged up and Syaoran had the bandages wrapped around the bullet wound in his arm. What could they do? Sakura regained balance and flattened out to try and stop her tumbling. "SYAORAN! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!" She looked upwards and noticed her staff was slowly following them tumbling to the ground with them. "MY STAFF! IF I COULD REACH IT…" Syaoran looked up and saw it two. He spread his arms and legs out and the wind slowed him down. Sakura watched him slow down until the staff was in his grasp. He held the staff in his hands and watched Sakura. She was too far down, and the ground was quickly approaching. He faced straight down and he rocketed towards the Earth. He rocketed right past Sakura, barreling so fast the buildings of the Mage Village seemed to double in size in a matter of seconds. He tossed the staff up and spread out again to slow down. He saw Sakura catch the staff and braced for impact. It would only be a matter of seconds until he would become splattered all over the village. He closed his eyes. He waited for it to end. But nothing happened. He opened his eyes to see he was slowly falling. He was very slowly let onto his feet. He turned and saw Sakura slowly float down to the ground with a swirling gust of wind below her. "Windy Card?" Syaoran asked. "Yeah. Well, I guess you can call it paying you back. You've saved me more times than I've saved you."  
  
They slowly opened the main door to the underground Mage Lair. The entire city was dead silent. Not a movement could be seen. Not a sound could be heard. The lights were dim. Sakura and Syaoran moved slowly moved through the darkness. Syaoran blushed as Sakura clung to his chest. "Please tell me there are no ghosts here… This is just like where ghosts hang out…" They slowly walked throughout the building. When they reached the main hall where the great feast had taken place, they saw eight figures hunched over a table.  
  
"I wonder if they are doing that well…"  
  
"Well, they were a big help to us and our village."  
  
"They were to ours as well… if it weren't for them…"  
  
"I don't care! I warned her not to go! I wanted to go in her place…"  
  
"Will you get over that! You've been talking like that for the past week!"  
  
"Stop this senseless arguing! It isn't going to help us figure out where they are or if they are even still alive."  
  
"OF COURSE THEY'RE ALIVE!"  
  
"Yeah, they're tough."  
  
"There's no way they could lose."  
  
"I just want to know what that damn boy is doing to her… if I ever find out he did something to her…"  
  
"Oh quiet. You've been talking like he's some serial murderer out to get her."  
  
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised."  
  
"I'm sure our master is fine…"  
  
"Wait… I sense their energy. They are very close…"  
  
"You're kidding?!"  
  
Sakura and Syaoran stepped forward. "Who's there?" Syaoran asked. A figure raised its hand and the lights brightened. The figures all gasped in chorus. "SAKURA! SYAORAN! YOU'RE BACK!" They all screamed. Sakura gasped and smiled cheerfully. "Oh my God! You're all here and safe! I'm so happy!"  
  
Before them stood all of their friends and allies they had met before:  
  
Tomoyo, Mia, Touya, Yue, Kero, Vincent, Meilin, and even little Mihoshi!  
  
"Oh my God! Sakura! I'm so glad to see you!" Tomoyo said as she ran up to her and hugged her. "Ahh! What happened to you?! You're covered in bandages and all battered and covered with bruises!" Touya's face turned red as he ran up to Syaoran and grabbed him by the throat, raising one fist in the air. "I warned you! I warned you about what I would do if you hurt my sister!" Sakura grabbed Touya's hand and gave him a look that would scare anyone. "For the last time, big brother… SYAORAN WOULD NEVER HURT ME!" Touya let Syaoran go and walked off without saying a word. She lowered her voice. "In fact, if it weren't for Syaoran, I'd be lying on the bottom of the ocean right now!" Syaoran lifted his arm to show the bandage from the bullet wound. "And if it weren't for Sakura, I'd be lying in a pool of blood full of lead." Meilin gasped. "You're kidding! What happened after you left our village?" Syaoran interrupted. "We'll get to that. But first, Meilin, Mihoshi, Vincent, what are you doing here? Aren't the three of you supposed to be in your own villages?" Vincent said, "Well, after you saved our village from the eternal cold, I wanted to help you out. But I wasn't sure when or if you would ever return. I wasn't sure where you were, so I decided to come here. There aren't many other villages left in all of Japan, so I figured the only place you could have gotten some of those supplies you had would be here…" "So you came to wait for us at the Mage Village." Syaoran interrupted. "Exactly." Mihoshi said, "Me and my Big Sis wanted to help too." Meilin added, "So basically, we wanted to help, but we didn't know how. So we decided there was no way you could beat Sadin on your own. So when the time comes, we'll be here." Sakura smiled. "Thank you so much! I'm glad you all care so much." Tomoyo said hastily, "Alright, we told you our story, now what happened to you? We didn't know what had happened to you after you left to fight that demon leader in the forest." Yue finally spoke up. "We knew you had beaten the demon. Keroberos and I were fighting brutally against the army, but suddenly, the entire army just vanished into thin air. You must have killed the leader. That's the only explanation." Sakura sat down. "Well, we'll tell you the entire story…"  
  
They told the entire story as everyone listened carefully. (Author's note: Well, Touya didn't pay that close of attention. He constantly eyed Syaoran like he was some sort of criminal, as usual. -_-' ) They were enraptured in their story. Or in Touya's case, when Meilin brought up their kiss in the fortress, enraged, though he did calm down when he learned it was just an act. They finally finished up after about an hour of story telling. "..And the last thing I remember before passing out was Syaoran looking worried above me." Sakura said. "I couldn't just watch Sakura die. I got out my sword and killed the fish. I carried Sakura towards the surface. I thought she was dead. But a few minutes later, I realized she was alive and gave her CPR. Her heart started again and she began breathing." Syaoran said.  
  
"That's when you gave her the big, nice long, kiss, right?"  
  
They turned to see someone standing behind them. "GENE!" Sakura shouted. She stood up and walked to him. The rest of them stood and wondered who he is. Well, all except for Syaoran and Touya, who sat with veins popping on their faces. "YOU KISSED MY SISTER?!" Touya rang out. "No! I already told you, I didn't! It was just CPR!" Syaoran said angrily. "Oh, don't be so modest!" Gene said. "Not everyone can be such a good romantic!" Meilin and Mihoshi giggled. Syaoran sat in silence, blushing, as did Sakura. "…What are you doing here?" Syaoran asked. "Well, isn't that a warm welcome. I heard the entire story. I'm here for the same reason. I couldn't just let you two go off on your own, could I?" Gene said. Sakura thought for a second before asking, "Wait, didn't you say it would take two days to get here by foot?" "I didn't come by foot. I came by horse." A sweat drop rolled down Sakura and Syaoran's heads. "Then why didn't you lend us a horse?" Syaoran asked. "Hmm… guess I never thought of that."  
  
Mia asked, "Now, I'm glad to see you again, but might I ask why you are here?" Sakura held up the Fly Card. "We were trying to get to the Wind Shrine right above us, but these giant winds blew us back. The Fly Card couldn't take it and we were blown off." Sakura said. "We almost ended up splattered over the village. Sakura managed to keep that from happening with the Windy Card, but we don't know how to get to the shrine." Mia thought out loud to herself. "Damn. I was worried this might happen… I don't know what we can do. Even if we could get past the windstorms shrine, I'm not sure you would be able to make it… The wind shrine is like a huge castle, from what I've heard. It's not as simple in design as say the past shrines you've described. It is supposedly huge. It's filled with traps, beasts, puzzles, and everything else that could possibly get in your way. Maybe we shouldn't have tried…" "Don't say that!" Sakura interrupted. "We have to do something! Mia, we're going to do whatever it takes to defeat Sadin, no matter how hard it may be! No matter the cost!" "…" Mia was silent. Tomoyo snapped her fingers. "I GOT IT!" She screamed. "Got what?" Syaoran asked. "I know how you can get in the shrine! Watch, this is a new spell I learned:" Tomoyo crossed her arms and concentrated. Her body glowed like a rainbow for a second, then she began to hover in the air by a few feet. "Neat, huh?" A sweat drop rolled down Syaoran's head. "Umm… no offense, Tomoyo, but I don't think hovering a few feet off the ground will help us reach an island a few thousand feet in the air." Tomoyo smiled. "That would be true, but I know how to use it right. It's called "Angel Wings." I named it myself. Sakura, let me see the Fly Card." Sakura handed it to her. "I don't know what you want with it though. You can't summon the cards." Sakura said. Tomoyo concentrated and the card began to glow like a rainbow. "Okay, now try using the card." Tomoyo said. Sakura looked confused, but she summoned the staff and tried it anyways. "FLY CARD!" An aura of light surrounded Sakura. When it vanished, she felt… different.  
  
Everyone but Tomoyo stared at Sakura with wide eyes and their jaws dropped in silence. Tomoyo blushed, saying, "Aww… how utterly adorable!" Sakura didn't know what they were talking about. She didn't see anything. She wasn't even in the air. The staff didn't even have wings. "What happened?" Sakura asked. She noticed a feather sitting on her shoulder and brushed it off. But a few seconds later, it came back. She brushed it off again, but it came back again. She wondered what was happening and grabbed it. What she saw shocked her. She turned her head. Sticking out of her back was a gigantic pair of angel wings. The feathers were small white-to-gray things, very soft to the touch. "HOE! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME, TOMOYO?!" Tomoyo giggled. "Don't worry, it's just a new version of the Fly Card. It will go away when you command it to. But my God! You look SO CUTE!" A sweat drop rolled down Sakura's head. "Well, at least it's not permanent…" Tomoyo blushed. "You're so lucky. First you get the powers of the Clow Cards, now you get angel wings… I wish I could get some… Oh! I have the most adorable idea!" She raised her arms and a quick bolt of magic flew from her hands, and a golden halo appeared over Sakura's head. "Now THAT is cute!" Another sweat drop rolled down Sakura's head. "Hoe… thanks, I guess."  
  
Syaoran stood up and stood in front of Sakura. He slowly put his hands on one of her wings and rubbed it. Sakura tried to move the wings, rubbing it on Syaoran's face. Syaoran blushed and backed up. He said, "Well, they're soft and pretty comfortable, but how does this helps us?" Tomoyo smiled again. "This is how you're going to get to the shrine! Those wings are extremely strong and can get through any winds! If Sakura carries you, then the two of you can pass right through the wind and into the castle!" Sakura added, "Well, that would work, if I knew how to fly! I can move my wings, but I don't know how to use them." She adjusted her halo, which was falling to one side. "Oh, that's easy." Kero said, finally breaking the silence of the rest of them. Kero walked over to her. "I've done this forever. Just flap them both back, and jump. You'll get the hang of it." Sakura moved her wings a little off beat, one then another. Eventually she got the rhythm and was flapping them with a great gust of wind that blew everyone's hair back. She jumped in the air, and hovered for a moment. She picked up speed and was flying across the room. She laughed out loud. "Wow! I'm really flying! This is fun!" She giggled as she flew with increasing speed in circles across the room. She flew directly over the table gracefully, sending a gust of wind pushing everyone back. She flew towards the exit with her wings spread. Touya stood up and screamed. "COME BACK HERE, MONSTER!" They all ran behind her.  
  
When they reached outdoors, Sakura was flying in loops outside. "Yay! This is so cool!" She screamed. She flew over and landed in front of all of them. "Wow, thanks Tomoyo! This is the most fun I've had in a long time!" Tomoyo just giggled. "And you really look like an angel! Oh, I wish I still had my video camcorder! But come on in. We'll have some dinner, change, get some sleep, and then tomorrow we can tackle the shrine!" Sakura recalled the Fly Card and her wings disappeared, though the halo remained.  
  
The next morning, they woke up with their new clothes. Tomoyo wanted to go with an angel theme, so Sakura wore a very long white dress with short sleeves. Just after the sleeves ended, she wore long white elegant gloves that went from her elbows to her fingers. She had a pair of white shoes with long white stockings. The dress itself was very simple, with no real designs. Syaoran wore a long-sleeved white Japanese robe that covered his feet, where he wore a pair of white high boots. Tomoyo also decided to give him a halo, even though he didn't want one. She couldn't give him wings, though he seemed almost relieved so. They met up in the main hall where everyone was waiting for them.  
  
"Aww… a couple of little angels… You two are always so cute everyday!" Tomoyo said when she saw them. Gene smirked. "You know, they're even cuter when they have one of their romantic little moments!" Meilin smiled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. The halos really help." Mihoshi added, "Yeah! I love this, they're so adorable! I want a halo!" Sakura and Syaoran stood staring at them with veins popping. "WE'RE NOT A COUPLE!" They screamed. "Look, we didn't decide to dress like a couple of angels! I didn't even want a halo! Tomoyo gave me one while my back was turned! I don't want to look like an angel." Syaoran screamed. Kero said, "Well, if we are quite done with this pointless babble, we might get on with this?" Mia said, "Yes, that's a good idea. Sakura, you'll have to carry Syaoran. Since they are the only ones who can fly, Kero and Yue will follow you." Yue added, "Though our wings aren't quite as strong, so it may take us a while longer to get in." Vincent added, "The rest of us will wait for you destroy the last shrine. Then we'll help assault Sadin together." Sakura remembered one thing. She reached into her backpack and pulled out the stones that the demons had dropped. "Mia, do you know what these are?" Mia looked at them and gasped. "Where did you find these?" She asked. Sakura answered, "Every time we defeated a demon who guarded a shrine, they dropped one of these." Mia smiled. "I know what these are! These are special magic-amplifying stones! There are 5 in all. When you have all five of them, you may combine them with a magic spell and they will increase the power of any attack! They may be only used once, but when they are used, it will make any attack about 20x more powerful! But there's no time for this talk. We need to get moving!" Sakura put the magic amplifying stones in her backpack and stepped outside. Yue and Kero followed them. Sakura grabbed her staff and the Fly Card. "FLY CARD! GRANT ME THE ANGEL WINGS!" Then the beautiful angel wings appeared on Sakura's back and spread out wide. Syaoran stepped forward. He adjusted his halo as he blushed. "I guess… we should old each other…" Syaoran said. Sakura blushed too, but didn't say anything. Syaoran grabbed Sakura, but it was more like a hug. Sakura wrapped her arms around him too. They sat there in silence for a second. Kero and Yue jumped into the air and flew off, while Sakura and Syaoran still sat there holding each other. "HEY!" Tomoyo said. "There will be plenty of time for hugging later. Get going, Kero and Yue are already flying there." They turned towards Tomoyo and blushed even more. They tried to think of a good excuse, but they couldn't come up with one. So instead, Sakura jumped high into the air, holding Syaoran in her arms, flying towards the final shrine, and quite possibly the toughest shrine of them all!  
  
To be continued… 


	30. The Giant Maze in the Sky

Please forgive me for the lack of updates. I'm sorry… --' But I do have a new chapter! Expect another chapter within the next 2 or three days!  
  
Chapter 30  
  
Sakura fell majestically through the sky behind Yue and Kero. Sakura broke off for a second and flew around in circles really fast. "Sakura, what the hell are you doing?!" Syaoran asked. "Don't worry, Syaoran. I know what I'm doing! I'm just having some fun!" She held onto Syaoran even tighter and flew in a loop straight up. "Whee! I love this!" But her grip loosened and Syaoran fell out of her arms head first to the ground. Syaoran was creaming as he fell, but he felt Sakura grab his feet. She grabbed his legs and began carrying him again. His face was turning red from the blood rushing to his head. He mockingly said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing… promise me you'll never do that again. And please get me right side up before I pass out!" Sakura slowly turned him around and blushed. "Hoe… sorry, Syaoran." She flew faster, flapping her angel wings even faster and caught up with Yue and Kero.  
  
But as she was flying, Sakura heard a voice.  
  
"Sakura, can you hear me?"  
  
"Tomoyo, is that you?" She asked. "Yes, it's me. I'm talking to you telepathically through Mia. I wanted to let you know a few things. Granted, this only works when we know exactly where you are, so that's why we didn't use it before." "Umm, okay, what is it?" Sakura asked. "Did you know notice that most of the townsfolk were missing?" "Well, kinda. I thought that was kinda strange." "Well, before you defeated the leader of the demon army, many townsfolk were captured. Another army managed to take most of them away. They're up there, somewhere in the shrine. You need to find them." "Alright, We'll try." That time, she heard another voice. "You little monster, I told you that you weren't going! Come back down here right now!" It was Touya. "Touya, let go! Get your hands off me! You're not going! You don't even know enough magic to get there! Just let them be!" Sakura heard the sound of a slap across someone's face and then a sweat drop rolled down her head. Syaoran asked confused, "Umm, Sakura? Are you feeling ok? Who are you talking to?" Sakura blushed. "No one really." Syaoran just sat there, wondering if maybe all the stress was finally getting to her.  
  
The winds began to increase. Yue and Kero slowed down, but Sakura kept flying. Sakura held onto Syaoran tight, and Syaoran hugged Sakura tighter. The skies darkened and the windstorms began. Sakura heard Kero yell out, "Sakura! Keep going! We'll make it eventually! Just hurry into the shrine! We'll meet you there!" And with that, Sakura flew forward trying hard to fly into the storm. She flapped her wings hard. She could feel Syaoran being pulled from her again. She clung on close to him. Syaoran noticed her long white gloves were slipping, so he quickly wrapped his arms around her neck. They're faces came extremely close. They blushed, realizing they were practically stuck together, but Sakura then focused on the shrine. It was getting closer. She could see the brown wooden door. She finally broke free of the wind holding her back, but she put too much energy into trying to get through and went tumbling onto the brown rock in front of the door. She turned to see Syaoran staring back at her lying on the ground. She picked up her halo that had actually fallen off and put it back on. She stood up and helped Syaoran to his feet. "Well, we made it in one piece." Sakura said. Syaoran rubbed his back. "I'm not too sure about that." He said.  
  
They pushed on the huge wooden door to the enormous castle. Sakura flapped her wings for extra power. It gave way all at once, and the door flew open, and the fell on top of each other. They heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed and heard a woman shout, "FREEZE, DEMONS!"  
  
They looked up to see a young woman, about 15 years old. She had large blue eyes and long, pink hair. She was a little shorter than Sakura. She held a long sword and was pointing it at them. The woman gasped. "You… you are angels?! You're not demons?!" Syaoran answered, "No, we're not working for Sadin, if that's what you're thinking." The young stranger sheathed her sword. "Oh, yeah! I was afraid you were demons. But if you're not, who are you and what are you doing here? Are you really angels?" They stood up and dusted themselves off. They looked around. They were in a long hallway, with no windows. Torches were the only source of light. Sakura replied, "No, we're not really angels. These halos? They're just magic. A mage gave them to us. These clothes? They were gifts. And my wings?" Sakura concentrated and the wings vanished. "They're just a magic spell." The young girl's eyes lit up. "Wait, you two are Sakura and Syaoran, right?!" They gasped. "How did you know?" they both asked. "I'm a mage from the village! My name is Natalie! It's nice to meet you!" Natalie said while smiling brightly. Sakura shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Natalie!" She smiled back. Syaoran looked on coldly. "I'm really tired of everyone wanting to kill us, thinking we're some of Sadin's goons." A sweat drop rolled down Natalie's head as she smiled. "Ummm… heh… sorry about that. But the thing is, the mages were captured." Sakura interrupted. "We know. Tomoyo told us." Natalie added, "Yes, but hat you don't know is many of us escaped at first. The guards tried to lock us up in the basement dungeon, but we managed to squeeze by. I was one of the mages that escaped. You see, while we were here, we learned of their plan: since you both have apparently destroyed some of the shrines…" "All except this one." Syaoran interrupted. "Right, we heard that they had a new plan. Without all the shrines up, they would have no place to put the Clow Cards. And even if one were left standing, one shrine wouldn't be able to hold all of that power. So they came up with a new plan. This shrine used to be like all the rest. But they have turned it into the most powerful shrine of them all. I heard something about a statue where the cards are supposed to be placed. Many demons combined their powers to create a huge statue that can absorb the powers of every Clow Card!" They gasped. "You mean, if they get their hands on the Clow Cards now, all our work will be for nothing?!" Syaoran screamed. Natalie sighed. "Yeah, I'm afraid so." She smiled again. "But we're not gonna let that happen! You see, they knew it was just a matter of time before you arrived and would try to stop them. So, to keep you out, the sealed the door to the statue. But, to unseal the door, you need a special magic stone. It was hidden somewhere in this shrine. But a friend of mine found it, and has it with her!" Sakura smiled. "That's great! Where is she?" Natalie sighed. "That's the bad news… she was recaptured. She cast some spells and killed a few demons, but they outnumbered her and took her to the dungeons. They never found the stone she hid in her shirt." They all sighed. Syaoran said, "Well, then I guess we're gonna have to just find her, get the stone, break the seal, destroy the statue, and get the hell out of here." They all sighed. It wasn't going to be easy.  
  
There was the sound of a scratch on the door. Natalie gasped. "Who is it now?" Syaoran walked over to the door and tried to pull it open. "Relax, Natalie. It's just Kero and Yue. They were following behind us and should be here by now." He said, yanking on the door handle. When he got the door half open, he jumped back in shock, and slammed the door closed. "Syaoran, what are you doing?" Sakura asked. He didn't say anything. He just grabbed their hands and ran down the long, dark hallway. They looked back, and suddenly, the door smashed open, and in flew a huge flock of giant birds. They looked a lot like Eagles, but they were at least 3 times the size. They flew at high speeds down the corridor towards them. They came to a brightly lit room. It was gigantic. It was covered in red rugs, fine tapestries, and paintings. It looked like a throne room of a medieval castle. In fact, on top of a small staircase was a throne.  
  
They turned and saw the demon birds circle around them after they flew into the room. "What the hell ARE these things?" Syaoran asked. "Reinforcements." Natalie said. "When we escaped, the call went out for reinforcements. These are birds Sadin enlarged with his magic and put them under his control. They're very deadly." Sakura asked, "How are we going to beat so many of them by ourselves? There must be 20 of them!"  
  
Then an explosion blew open the side of the wall, and 5 figures emerged from the rubble. They immediately recognized two of them, Yue and Kero, but the other three they didn't. Somehow though, they seemed familiar. One was a tall young man, probably 17 like them, with dark blue to purple hair with thick-rimmed glasses. Next to him were a panther-like creature with wings, and a long brown haired girl with large wings. They took off into the air and began to pummel the beasts. The young boy used a long staff to summon magic attacks such as fire and lightning. The panther swiped at slashed the demons. The young maiden materialized an energy sword and slashed. "Yue, who are these people?" Sakura asked. "I'm not sure. These birds just outside the castle attacked us, when they came. They said, 'you will find out who we really are soon enough. But we must help Sakura first.' But forget about that. We must fight!" Yue and Kero leaped into the air and joined the fierce battle. Sakura summoned the Fly Card and once again grew the pair of Angel Wings. Her dress flapped as she flew around the room. She summoned the Sword Card and began t attack head on. Natalie stayed on the ground, but chanted a spell before fire leapt from her hands, scorching the demons. Syaoran drew his sword and slashed all of the birds in two whenever they flew low enough, or when someone knocked one to the floor. Birds keep flying in, but they were killed off as fast as they were coming in. Eventually, there was one left. Sakura dived in, and slashed its wing. The bird fell to the floor, where Syaoran sliced it in two, and its body vanished. They all rested on the floor, and Sakura put her wings away.  
  
Syaoran walked over to the dark haired stranger. "Who are you, and why are you helping us?" The boy smiled. "To tell the truth, we're not helping you. We're only helping Sakura." A sweat drop rolled down Syaoran's head. "Gee, thanks a lot. How do you know Sakura?" The boy frowned. "There is no time for such questions. One day, you shall know the truth. But for now, let us get to the end of this shrine. I know of how it was built. It requires at least three groups of people. A series of puzzles and monsters lie in wait for all of us along three paths. As we solve puzzles along the path, it will open the path for others, who will then solve puzzles that open our doors, understand?" They all nodded. "I learned this from demons I overheard when they designed this castle. At the end of all three paths is the sealed door." Natalie spoke up. "Alicia is somewhere around the paths!" Everyone wondered what she meant. "Oh, I forgot. My friend with the stone that unlocks the door, her name is Alicia Kittie. But we like to call her 'Kirei Kittie.'"  
  
A dark voice loomed through the room.  
  
"You all have stopped my plans for the last time! This time, you will all fail."  
  
Sakura gasped. "Sadin?!"  
  
"That's right… it is I…Sadin… so, you are pretty smart after all. But it's too bad you didn't decide to help me. You should have just stayed in the past and died like you were supposed to. Your deaths would have been far less painful than they will be now. It's so appropriate you came as angels, as I'll be sending you to Heaven or Hell very soon."  
  
Syaoran screamed out, "Well, we're not going to fail! You are the only one who will be dying!" Sadin chuckled.  
  
"I seriously doubt that. Well, I think I'll just watch you try. All attempts are in vain… I bid you farewell, and good riddance."  
  
The sound of his voice faded away. Yue spoke up. "We have to split up. I will go with Keroberos." Eriol said, "I will go with my comrades." Sakura smiled. "I guess that means I'm going with Syaoran and Natalie!"  
  
They all walked down the hall and came to an intersection. One path went left, one went right, and one led up a staircase straight ahead. Kero and Yue went left, Eriol, Spinnel, and Ruby Moon went right, and Sakura, Syaoran, and Natalie took the stairs.  
  
Sakura and Syaoran pushed open a large door and found themselves on the roof. The sun shined brightly upon them, and a small wind blew Sakura's dress and Syaoran's robe gently in the wind. Ahead of them after a long flat floor was a huge second story. They walked slowly across the roof to get to it, when Syaoran's foot sunk into the floor. Sakura and Natalie backed up for a second. Syaoran's foot sunk deeper into the rock ceiling, as the rocks broke. Suddenly, a huge section of roof underneath Syaoran and all the way to the building on the other side collapsed. Sakura screamed, "SYAORAN!" As she watched in horror as he fell into the sky, literally. She looked over the new edge. The center of the castle was completely hollow, so Syaoran had fallen all the way through the roof down to the ground thousands of feet below. Sakura collapsed onto her knees and started to cry. Natalie started to cry too. Sakura said quietly, "Syaoran, no! You can't… I never even got to tell you I—" "That you what?" A voice interrupted her. "Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed. "Sakura, I'm not dead. I'm down here!" It was Syaoran. Sakura used the fly card to get her wings and she hovered down a few feet into the hole through the castle. Syaoran was hanging on under her view, clinging to a rock in the wall. She grabbed him and helped lift him to safety. She placed him back on his feet and rested on the side of the pit. "Umm… Sakura?" Syaoran said as he blushed. "What didn't you ever tell me?" Sakura stuttered as she blushed. "I… err… I wanted… ummm… never mind…" Natalie cried out, "Oh, you two are so CUTE!" They blushed even worse.  
  
They stood up and looked at the building on the other side. It was at least 30 feet away. Sakura grabbed the staff. "CREATE CARD! CREATE A BRIDGE!" A long bridge stretched out, made of sturdy wood, to the other side. They stepped across and the bridge vanished. Sakura put away her wings and sat down to rest. She felt something press down underneath her weight. She stood up. There was some kind of switch underneath her. But what did it do?  
  
Yue was inspecting a door in front of him. It was a strong door with steel bars surrounding it. There was no way through. Suddenly, the bars lifted. He didn't do anything. He looked confused, but he walked through, to start off their journey through the perilous shrine.  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, what do you think? I plan on making an entire chapter of mazes, monsters, puzzles, and naturally a little kawaii-ness thrown in as well! 


	31. The Traps

Well, we're starting to near the end of my fiction… but it's not over yet! And thank you, thank you all for those wonderful reviews! I won't disappoint you!  
  
Chapter 31  
  
Yue and Kero slowly walked through the open door. They were confused. They didn't know how the door had opened, but it had. The room was very small and totally empty, except for a window, letting a little light in. It was only about 7 feet across. There was absolutely nothing.  
  
The door behind them slammed shut and locked. "What do you make of this, Keroberos?" Yue asked. "I don't know. But I don't like it." There was a small clicking sound, and the floor gave way into two panels, dropping the two guardians through the floor. They spread their wings and landed unscathed into another small room. It was actually much larger than the previous room, but still rather small. The panel that had dropped them had sealed shut. Yue flew up, but another panel closed at the bottom of the shaft they fell through. Yue pushed hard on the panel. It was magically sealed. They couldn't even blast it open if they tried. They were trapped. This room, too, was empty. Except, there was another door, though another set of steel bars covered it, locking it shut tight. Also, on each wall, there was a small statue head of a lion roaring. They didn't know what to do. Kero noticed a tile on the stone floor was sticking up unusually high. He pressed his paw on it, and there was a small rumbling sound as the tile was pushed into the floor.  
  
Elsewhere in the castle at the same time, Eriol was examining a similar door. "Master, are you sure there is no way to open the door?" Spinnel asked. "Yes, I'm quite sure. It has a magic seal. It's quite powerful. Not even I can open it." Ruby Moon giggled. "Why don't we just use Spinnel's head as a battering ram? It's hard enough. It should knock it right down." Spinnel growled. "Shut up or I'll…" "Quiet! Both of you!" Eriol snapped. "You're arguing isn't going to help us." There was a small rumbling, and the steel bars on the doors retracted and the door opened. Eriol, Spinnel, and Ruby Moon didn't know what happened, but the door had opened. They walked into the next room, confused.  
  
Back with Yue and Kero, they were starting to examine the switch Kero stepped on. "It's the strangest thing. It doesn't do anything." Kero said. "I pushed it down, but the door didn't open." Yue thought aloud. "Why would Sadin put in a switch to the next room if there were no trap? Why wouldn't he give us a challenge? It's odd…" That's when things went bad. They heard a large rumble as the room began to shake. Hot lava spewed from the lion's head statues. The room would soon be filled! They flew to the top of the room and hovered there. They were trapped.  
  
Eriol examined the room carefully. It was a strange room. It was very large, but it was very empty. The floor had many cracks in it, like it was repeatedly struck. He stared at the ceiling. It was very peculiar. At random points, the ceiling actually went upwards about 10 feet in the shape of a cube and then went back to normal. It was very weird. Spinnel stood next to him. "What do you make of it, Eriol?" Eriol pushed his glasses up. "It's a trap. I know it. I'm just not sure what…" Ruby Moon laughed. "Boys, boys, boys, this is an empty room. How can it be a trap?" Eriol saw the ceiling shake a little. He looked up and noticed he and Spinnel were sitting under one of the cubed shaped holes in the ceiling, but Ruby Moon was not. He charged and tackled Ruby back by about a foot. Ruby screamed, "What the hell is wrong with you, Eriol?! Why did you tackle me?!" That's when the ceiling collapsed, and they were safe in the small cubed hole. They looked up and saw that this wasn't actually a ceiling, but just a trap set to crush them. Ruby Moon's eyes were bulging. If Eriol hadn't pushed her back, she would be under that 10-foot slab of rock. Eriol jumped as high as he could, grabbed the edge of the rock, and stepped out on top. Ruby Moon did the same. No one said a word. They noticed the next sealed door wasn't covered in rock. They stepped over to it and dropped down. Eriol felt the ground under him drop down and click.  
  
Yue and Kero were getting dangerously close to the lava as it inched closer and closer to the ceiling. Suddenly, the lava stopped rising, and began to drain. They gave a sigh of relief.  
  
Sakura, Syaoran, and Natalie sat up against the small building on the roof. The door remained locked shut. They were bored stiff. "Syaoran, are you sure there is no way in?" Syaoran looked irritated. "For the fiftieth time…" There was a click, and the door slid open. "Ummm… I guess there is." He said. They entered, moments later, they ran screaming out of the room. Behind them was a huge rhino-like creature. It was covered in brown fur, and it had three horns on its huge head. It smashed right through the building and began to cast spells. Each of the three horns' magic came together in the center of its head and shot blasts of electricity at them. Natalie jumped to one side and gave it a blast of water, then fire. Neither spell had any effect. Sakura called the jump card and the sword card. When it began to charge up for another blast, she jumped forward and sliced the three horns as the demon fired. Sakura was hit and sent flying. The Sword Card was knocked from her hands onto the ground, and she slid to the end of the whole Syaoran had almost fallen in. The demon let out a fierce cry as the horns fell off its head. She had at least stopped the magic, but still, the demon starred her down. He stamped his feet, and charged at Sakura, who wasn't to her feet. The demon would send her barreling down the pit. And without her staff, she couldn't summon the Fly card, she would fall to her death. As the demon grew closer, Syaoran jumped and tackled Sakura to one side. The demon missed both of them, and instead fell itself to the ground below. All three of them stood and watched the beast fall out of sight. They walked through the hole in the wall into where the beast once was. There was a door, a switch next to the door, and… a treasure chest?  
  
Syaoran sat down and tried hard to open the rusty chest. He pulled out a small orange crystal. "What is it?" Sakura asked. "I'm not sure, but I can feel it has magic in it. I'll keep it for later." He said, slipping it in his robe. He adjusted his halo, which was knocked offside when he tackled Sakura, and stepped on the switch.  
  
Yue and Kero finally landed on the ground. The entire room was scorched from the lava, but it didn't get them, luckily. Now that the lava had all drained, they could walk safely. They saw the door unlock and open. They stepped through, and prepared to face whatever challenge lie ahead. The room was very, very strange. It was almost as if the room were upside down. The windows were upside down, the ceiling was tiled like the floors were elsewhere in the castle, torches hung the wrong way, and it was very weird. The only things on the same floor as them were a large stone and a locked door. Kero noticed a switch on the ceiling. "Yue, I think that's the next switch on the ceiling." He said. Yue flew to the ceiling and pushed on the switch as hard as he could. He strained his muscles as much as he could, but the switch wouldn't go down. Yue rested. "There is no way I can press this switch down…" He noticed the huge stone still on the ground. He got an idea. He pushed it across the floor until it was under the switch on the ceiling. "If I could just find a way to get this stone up there…" Kero noticed a small statue sitting on the ceiling in one corner. He floated up to it and looked. The statue was upside down, and in the center, there was a small red gem. Kero pressed the gem with his paw, and the castle began to shake.  
  
Elsewhere in the castle, Sakura, Syaoran, and Natalie sat by the next door, waiting for one of the teams to get it opened. The ground began to shake, and they fell… onto the wall. The castle continued to shake, and they fell onto the ceiling. "What the hell is going on?" Syaoran screamed. Sakura and Natalie both landed on him. "I'm really getting tired of this…" Syaoran groaned. "Ummm… it feels like the entire castle is upside down." Sakura said.  
  
Sakura was right. Back with Yue and Kero, the stone on the ceiling fell to the floor, or what was the ceiling, and landed on the switch, pressing it down. There was a click, and the door that was now on the ceiling opened up. They flew into the room, where there was a treasure chest on the ceiling and another locked door. They stared at both for a moment.  
  
Meanwhile, the next door opened for Eriol. They stepped in. The room was very dark. They couldn't see much of anything. Eriol held out his staff that glowed with a golden radiance. It wasn't much, but they could see a small statue of a castle right side up next to them with a small gem in the center. Eriol pushed it in.  
  
Yue continually stared at the chest. He tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. The castle began to turn again. Yue and Kero couldn't react fast enough and landed on their heads. Yue rubbed his head and sat up. "This is a very strange castle." He stood up and noticed the chest had opened by itself. Inside was a green stone, very similar to that of which Syaoran had found earlier. He picked it up. He could sense the magic inside it…  
  
Eriol, Spinnel, and Ruby Moon floated gently to the new floor. Light now poured through the windows. They could see there was a hole in the ceiling, letting light through onto the floor. There sat a small mirror against the wall. On the opposite wall were two symbols covered in darkness. There was also another locked door. Eriol couldn't make out the writing of the symbols on the wall. So, he grabbed the mirror and stepped into the light from the hole in the ceiling. He aimed the mirror so the light hit the symbols on the right. When the light hit it, he read "Darkness." What did it mean? The symbols disappeared right off the wall. "Spinnel, what do you suppose this mea—ACK!" Eriol said, starting to choke. Spinnel and Ruby looked worried. "What's wrong?!" They asked. Eriol clutched his throat, gasping for air. They saw a shadow on the ground next to Eriol's shadow. It looked like a small shadow of a disembodied hand was almost attacking Eriol's shadow by choking it, but Ruby stepped up to Eriol and felt nothing was really on his neck. "What do we do?!" Ruby asked. Spinnel stared at Eriol's shadow, looking as though it were being choked. He got an idea and slashed the shadow of the hand with his claws. The shadow disappeared and Eriol collapsed on the floor, panting heavily. "S-s-s-some…thing… a- attacked me… I couldn't breathe… It… it was trying to sap my magic." Ruby and Spinnel looked concerned. But they had to go on. They let Eriol rest on the floor for a minute. Ruby grabbed the mirror and held it up so light shined on the next symbol, which read, "Light." The symbol vanished and there was a clicking sound. A chest materialized beside them. Eriol finally regained his poise and sat up. He reached into the chest and pulled out a small clue crystal…  
  
Syaoran sat against the locked door on the opposite side of the castle. Sakura smiled. "Come on, Syaoran, sit with us!" Syaoran shook his head. "No way! Every time I sit near you, the castle moves and you girls land on top of me and I get hurt! Well, now I'm sitting over here where I can't get hurt." There was a click, and the door unlocked. The door quickly opened as Syaoran leaned against it. His head fell back and he hit his head on the floor. "Ow! Grrr… Someone up there has it in for me…" He stood up and they entered. Natalie gasped. "Kirei Kittie!" She ran up to a set of bars. They had found the dungeon. It was a rather bland room with two torches as the only source of light. There were two suits of armor on the wall, one carrying a battle-axe, the other with a sword and shield. The other prisoners gathered at their cells. A young girl, probably around 15 or 16 came to the cell smiling. She had short brown hair, with deep blue eyes. She was probably around 5'5." She gasped, "Oh, it's you, Nat! I'm so glad to see you! I see you got some friends!" Natalie smiled back. "I'm glad to see you, too! These are the Galactic Heroes! I… ummm… met them at the front of the castle!" Syaoran mumbled, "More like tried to kill us…" Kirei saw Sakura wearing her angel outfit and squealed, "Oh my God! Those outfits are so cute! Where did you get them?" Sakura smiled back. "Tomoyo gave them to us! The halos too! Do you like it?" Natalie laughed. "Like them? We love them! I gotta ask Tomoyo for one later!"  
  
A sweat drop rolled down Syaoran's head as he listened to the girls talk about their clothes. "Excuse me, ladies, but do you think we can talk about clothes AFTER we kill the power-hungry sorcerer?" He asked sarcastically. They all blushed at once. "Heh… sorry, Syaoran." Sakura said, trying to smile.  
  
Kirei Kittie gasped. "Look out!" she screamed and pointed behind them. Syaoran jumped on Sakura and Natalie and brought them to the ground. They looked up to see the armor with the battle-axe had come to life and swung at them. If Syaoran hadn't taken them to the ground, they' be a head shorter. The possessed armor raised it axe to slam it down, but everyone rolled out of the way. Syaoran drew his blade and struck the armor from behind as it pulled its weapon out of the ground, but the sword bounced right off. The demon turned its head towards Syaoran, and with one slap from its hand, it sent Syaoran flying into the other suit of armor. Syaoran grabbed the shield of that armor and headed for it again. The possessed armor swung its axe, but Syaoran's shield deflected it. Unfortunately, the armor shattered it with one blow. Natalie thought of something. "Sakura, get your sword ready!" Sakura nodded and drew out the Sword Card and summoned it. Natalie pointed her finger at the demon and fire raged off her fingertip. The metal armor began to heat up and glow crimson red. Sakura then came in, with the metal softened with the heat, and slashed the armor with her sword. The outer layer of the armor peeled off, and inside appeared a small chunk of metal connecting the head area and legs with each other, as well as a small green crystal. Syaoran sat up and grabbed his sword. He charged forward and hit the crystal with all his might. It shattered, and the possessed armor dropped to the ground.  
  
Out of the armor rolled a small gray key.. Syaoran picked it up. He saw the lock on Kittie's cell and stuck it in. The door opened, and Kirei Kittie walked out. Syaoran went from cell to cell and released the mages. Sakura asked Kittie as Syaoran freed them, "Do you have that special stone that is supposed to unseal the door to get to the end of this shrine?" Kittie smiled. "Yep. They never found it on me!" She reached into her black mage shirt (which is what Natalie wore as well, like most of the mages, except for the blue mages, which wore the same thing, only blue.) and pulled out a bright red stone. "This is it!" "Alright!" Natalie and Sakura exclaimed together. The mages gathered in front of Sakura. "Thank you for saving us." One mage said. Sakura thought for a moment. "wait, how are you going to get out of here?" She asked. "Easy." Said one mage. We'll climb to the roof and jump. We know some spells that can get us down from this height safely." Kirei said, "Well, I'm coming with you! If Natalie is going with you, then so am I!" Sakura smiled. "Alright! Now, as for the rest of the mages, the roof is back that way! The rest of us, we'll wait by the door over here so we can go to the end of the shrine!" The mages ran one way, while Sakura and the rest of them ran to the door. Sakura saw the switch in the ground and hit it. The door slid open, and they ran down a long staircase.  
  
Yue and Kero watched their door unlock, and they ran through.  
  
Eriol's team ran through their now unlocked door as well. All three teams came together in front of a huge stone door. They met where each hallway and staircase came together. Eriol asked, "Sakura, I see you are all okay, but did you get the gem that opens the door?" Sakura held the gem out in her hand. They stood in front of a huge stone door. It had the design of a giant beast carved on the front of it. The dog had long horns, a spiky tail, and a long mane. One of its eyes had a red gem in it. It was just like the one Sakura had. She put the gem in the other eye. She gasped. The eyes… that look… just like all of her dreams… the door slowly opened…  
  
To be continued… 


	32. Nave, the Sadistic Demon

Wow! I never knew that my little project would get so big I'd get to 100 reviews! And be on the favorites list of ANY members. But I have a new chapter here! I was going to make this the big boss battle, but I found a new villain that was just so evil, I had to dedicate an entire chapter to him, and it explains some plot holes! And Arigotou! Arigotou! Arigotou! Arigotou! For all the wonderful reviews!  
  
Chapter 32  
  
The door slowly opened, revealing a room much like the previous shrines, only indoors. They all slowly stepped in. Syaoran drew his blade, prepared for the worst. "There's gotta be a trap here." Syaoran said. "Every time we get close to one of those statues," Syaoran said as he pointed to the statue at one end, "a demon attacks." The statue this time, though, was a little different. It was a towering golden statue of a man with his face covered by the robe of his hood. He had his hand stretched out, as if by magic, holding a bowl that hovered in the air. But unlike the other statues, the bowl didn't glow; it had a small portal hovering above it, similar to the one the traveled seven years into the future in. The rest of the room was covered in tapestries, spell books, statues, pieces of armor, and the like.  
  
Eriol stepped forward. He pushed the glasses further up his face and said, "I sense a powerful force here. We are not alone." Sakura looked worried. "Is… is it the guardian of this shrine?" She asked. Eriol concentrated. "I… can't tell… but… whatever it is, it's—"  
  
"HERE!" A deep voice echoed. A tall man with huge muscles and flaming red long hair and a red beard stepped out of the shadows. He had dark brown eyes, and appeared to be in his forties. The man chuckled. "I'm surprised to see you make it this far. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nave. I am the supreme commander of all of Sadin's army. I am the highest-ranking soldier in Sadin's glorious road to a superior New Universe Order!" Syaoran pointed his blade at the commander. "New Universe Order? You're slaughtering thousands! You've destroyed countless families, villages, cities, civilizations… and you bastards dare say you're making the universe a better place? You sicken me… I should slit your throat right here and now!" Nave glared at him. "Hmph. I wouldn't expect little babies like yourselves to understand." Eriol stepped forward. "We understand that you have been fooling around with time itself. It isn't supposed to be this way!" He stammered. Nave drew a long golden sword and pointed it at Eriol. "No, this isn't the way it would have happened, it is better! Once Sadin has utter control of the universe, the world will be a better place! No more wars will be fought over land. No more corrupted governments will plague civilizations. No crimes will go unnoticed. It will be a glorious new age!" Sakura thought for a minute. "You sound exactly like Rosaria!" She said. "Talking about how great this new world will be… but you are both insane! We killed Rosaria, and we'll destroy you if we have to." Sakura said coldly.  
  
Nave's right eye twitched and his face turned red. "ROSARIA?! YOU BITCH!" He breathed heavily. ""Rosaria… was the love in my life… she was my guiding force in life… She was the one who showed me the light… for you see, I was not created like the demons you have faced. I was once a drill sergeant for the United States Army those seven years ago. I knew our United States Army was the most supreme of all the powers… I tried to convince my superiors that this was true and that the United States had the power to rule the entire planet! Do you know what they did? They said I was crazy! They booted me out of the army, and I would never be allowed to join again. Those bastards… I swore I'd get my revenge from them if it was the last thing I ever did. A few days later, the invasion began. My family and me were taken hostage by the demons, just like hundreds of thousands of other families. The one who took us hostage was Rosaria. I asked her what she wanted alone. She told me of her plans…" He began to cry. "The collapse of the governments that have only softened our world. The way civilizations no longer lived in fear of one absolute ruler. That fear that made the universe great. That fear kept all living beings from doing wrong. I understood. I wanted to only help them. They were right. They were surprised by my sudden change of allegiances. So they gave me a test. So I obeyed. I looked my family right in the eyes…" His tears turned to insane laughter.  
  
"…And I killed them. One by one, I shot my wife, my son, my daughter, I killed them all. I felt the power. They were weak. They didn't deserve to live. I knew I had done the right thing. I had a bloodlust. I needed to teach the miserable people of this world a lesson they would never forget!" Everyone was turning red in anger. Syaoran clenched his fist. "This… this guy sickens me… his own FAMILY?! He ENJOYED killing them?!" He mumbled. Sakura mumbled, "This is sick! How can this man be so uncaring?!" Eriol stood in silence, staring a whole through him. Kero and Yue seemed almost ready to strike as Kero growled… Nave continued. "I remember the look on their faces… the total horror… THAT'S THE FEAR I WANT! That's how the universe should be ruled. Over time, I went on to kill hundreds and thousands of more families. Sadin himself was so impressed by my leadership of the demons that he granted me the magic to become the most powerful being in the universe! And when Sadin comes to this universe, I will be his right hand man. With those powers though, I extracted my revenge. I single handedly destroyed the armies of all the super powers. The United States, Russia, China, Japan, England, and France… they all fell so easily. But my greatest moment?" He laughed insanely. He pointed to Sakura. "You!"  
  
Sakura panicked a little bit. "Yes… Sakura was it? When the invasion began, Sadin gave me strict orders to find you, and kill you. The three demons sent prior to me… you had killed all three of them, but I would not failed. We had not realized you were gone. But I came to your house. There I saw your father and your brother in mourning… crying over a picture of you… apparently they thought two bodies in the woods were you and your little friend there." He pointed to Syaoran. "Well, I put those bodies there. They were of two kids who got in my way in the woods. They were to young bastard kids who called me names. I realized the world was in much worse shape when these kids verbally attacked me without reason. I killed them both. And I enjoyed it. You see, I was sent back in time from before the invasion started to look for you. So I killed them a week before the invasion began, even though I was recruited after it began. I spent the rest of the week searching for you. Or in other words, I arrived the day you left. I couldn't find your house until after the invasion began. That's when I walked in on your father and brother. Your brother put up a pretty good fight and managed to get away. But your father…" Nave smiled sadistically. "He didn't care. He was so heart broken he willingly accepted death…" They all stood in shock. Sakura fell to her knees, crying. Syaoran knelt down and hugged her, whispering, "It's alright Sakura… calm down… it will be okay…" Nave broke into sadistic laughter. "So, I was doing him a favor by putting him out of his heart broken misery… or at least since he didn't know you were alive. But then, you went and killed Rosaria… the one who showed me the truth…"  
  
"SHUT UP, BASTARD!" Sakura stood up. Her face was burning red in utter hatred. "YOU! YOU KILLED MY FATHER! I CAN NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" Sakura clenched her fist. She mumbled, "God help me, I will kill you!" Sakura summoned her staff. She pulled a Clow Card out. Syaoran saw what she was doing and grabbed her arm to try and stop her. "Sakura, don't!" Syaoran said with a look of concern in his eyes. Sakura took her arm back and shoved Syaoran to the ground. "BACK OFF! I HAVE TO DO THIS!" Everyone was shocked. This was totally unlike Sakura. Sakura tossed the card in the air. "ARROW CARD!" A barrage of arrows flew out of the card towards Nave. But like lightning, Nave grabbed them in the air. He took one out of the group, and snapped the rest of the arrows on his knee. He took the other arrow and held it in the air. "That was a mistake." He tossed it straight ahead, and it stuck into Sakura's left arm, sending blood splattering onto Syaoran's face as he lay next to her on the ground. Sakura gave a shriek of pain as she squirmed on the floor. Everyone rushed over and kneeled down beside her. Syaoran crawled over to her. Sakura squeezed her arm with the arrow sticking out. Sakura continued to scream. Syaoran grabbed the arrow and quickly yanked it out. Sakura's screaming grew louder. Natalie asked, "Are you alright Sakura?!" But Sakura didn't respond. Syaoran ripped the entire right sleeve off his angle shirt and tied it around the wound. Sakura stopped screaming and stared at Syaoran for a moment. Tears were still flowing from her eyes.  
  
"You're… you're helping me? After what I just did to you? Shoving you to the ground?" Syaoran pulled her closer. "Sakura… it's okay. Of course I'm going to help you… I know you didn't mean that. You were just angry. I would have done the same thing. Now tell me, can you move your arm?" Sakura lifted her arm. She squinted when she moved it, but she moved it. "Ow… Yeah, but it hurts…" The blood started to be absorbed into her dress, turning the left sleeve red. "That's good, then the arm will be fine." Sakura put her hand on his face and wiped her own blood away. "Syaoran… I'm… I'm so sorry!" She began to burst out in tears. Syaoran said, "Don't be sorry. You only wanted to avenge your father… anyone would have done the same." "…" Sakura was speechless. Syaoran put his hands on her delicate face. He slowly wiped away the tears. "Syaoran," Sakura said. "I'll understand if you hate me…" "No!" Syaoran snapped back. "I don't hate you! I understand what you're going through. Remember, I lost my entire family… but nothing you say or do will ever make me hate you…" He pulled her close and hugged her tight, ignoring the watchful eyes of their friends around them.  
  
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Nave screamed. "Are you cowards going to do anything?" They all at once got to their feet and slowly walked towards Nave. Sakura had the Cards in her hands. Syaoran drew his blade. Eriol held his staff. Ruby Moon and Yue formed swords of pure energy. Kero and Spinnel stuck out their claws and growled. Natalie and Kirei Kittie rolled up their sleeves, and prepared their energy to cast spells.  
  
Nave backed away. "Nine on one? That doesn't seem fair. I guess I'll just have to even the odds!" He snapped his fingers, and everything went black. When the light returned, they found themselves standing on a huge rock floating in the air. There were groups of smaller rocks floating around theirs. Nave stood on the opposite end of the rock. "I would normally fight you all," he said, "but think it may be enjoyable for me to watch my pet do it! Oh come here, Behemoth!" The shadow of a beast appeared on the top of one of the rocks. The shadow leapt into the air, and landed in front of them.  
  
It was the demon they saw on the sealed door. It was a purple beast-dog with a flaming red mane and black horns on its head and tail. Its bright red eyes glowed and its mouth dripped with blood and drool. Everyone prepared to battle the beast.  
  
To be continued… 


	33. The Battle with the Commander Demon

I'm so sorry I haven't updated that quickly… but I do have a new chapter. And I had to think of the best way to end Nave… you'll like it…  
  
And as usual, thank you all so much for the reviews! Thank you so much! *^^*  
  
Chapter 33  
  
Everyone stood in an offensive position, waiting to see what the demon dog would do. They just stood there, staring the dog down as it growled. It bent its knees and jumped in the air… and began to hover! It could fly! Sakura grabbed the Fly Card and summoned her Angel Wings. She took off into the air and hovered there. Yue, Kero, Ruby, and Spinnel did the same. They still sat there in silence. Syaoran, Natalie, Kittie, and Eriol decided to stay on the ground and use long-distance attacks. Yue held his sword of pure energy in his hands and made the first attack. He flew in and slashed, but the beast dodged every strike, opened his mouth, and blasted Yue to the ground with one blast of energy. "Ugh…" Yue slowly sat up, watching Kero and Spinnel charge in as Sakura threw another card in the air and Natalie and Kirei Kittie charged for some spells.  
  
Kero and Spinnel used their claws to swipe the giant beast that was probably twice their size, but to no avail. They connected, but their claws just weren't sharp enough. Kero flew backwards, and breathed fire all over the demon. The beast was completely invisible under a sea of flames. Spinnel started to breathe fire on him as well. It seemed like it was working. Natalie and Kirei cast fire on the demon. Eriol and Syaoran blasted fire at it as well. Sakura screamed, "FIRE CARD!" And the Fire Spirit left it's card and dived into the inferno. Everyone stopped and watched the flames burn. There was no way even a demon could stand all of that fire.  
  
But it did. The beast flew straight out of the fire, with its fur still partially ablaze, and with two swipes, it sent Kero and Spinnel to the ground. It eyed Sakura, and charged her, tackling her, bringing himself and Sakura to the ground. It growled in her face. Sakura could feel the heat of the flames still burning the hellhound's fur. It opened its jaws and looked as though it was going to bite Sakura's head clean off. Sakura tried to move, but the dog had her pinned to the ground. She shrieked in fear as it came closer to snapping her head off, when something kicked the demon's head with a loud crack. The demon turned to where the blow had come and spotted Syaoran. "C'mon, tough dog. Pick on me. Leave Sakura alone." Syaoran lifted his blade and jumped to strike the beast, but the dog leaped off of Sakura and tackled him with its horns in midair. Syaoran went tumbling backwards, and rolled off the side of the huge rock they stood on. Sakura screamed as she stood up. "SYAORAN!" She reached her arm out, as if he could grab it. She ran to the edge of the rock and saw him falling out of sight. While her back was turned, the dog pounced again towards her, but was intercepted by Ruby Moon's sword, slicing part of its face, sending blood over its mouth. Eriol. Raised his staff and sent a large bolt of electricity, shocking the beast for several seconds. Sakura turned around quickly. Her eyes were filled with sadness and anger.  
  
She pulled out another card. "I… I promised Syaoran I wouldn't use the Power Card in hate… so… FIGHT CARD!" Sakura began to glow in a light-blue aura. She let loose a flurry of attacks that sent the demon dog reeling. With every kick to the face, Sakura could see the saliva and blood fly from the dog's face. With every punch, Sakura could feel her anger growing. She couldn't handle it. The dog had thrown Syaoran over the side of the rock. She gave one last kick under the stomach that sent the dog flying into the air. Sakura flew over top of him and smashed the dog with her hands over its head, sending crashing into the ground. She didn't even wait to see if the dog had been knocked out; she just dive-bombed off the rock to try and see Syaoran.  
  
Things seemed to be going well. Nave sat on one side away from them all, with his long sword drawn. He grinded his teeth in anger as he saw his pet losing and lying motionless on the ground. Yue and Ruby approached, raising their swords. They prepared to slice the demon to pieces, when it sprang to its feet and tackled the two of them to the ground. They couldn't move as the dog's weight held them down. It opened it mouth, preparing to blast them when a spray of blood covered Yue and Ruby in a blinding flash. The demon's head fell off, and the dog vanished into thin air. They turned to see Sakura flying overhead holding Syaoran's foot. Syaoran held a bloodstained sword. Syaoran had killed the beast. Out of Syaoran's pocket fell the fire-colored stone he found before. It landed beside Kittie, who examined it.  
  
"YOU BASTARDS!" Nave screamed as Sakura sat Syaoran on the ground. "First, you kill my love, now you kill my pet! I may not be a true demon, but I am more powerful than one! I'll kill you here and now!" He charged forward and shoved Sakura to one side. He went straight for Syaoran as he got up. He slashed at Syaoran, just barely missing him. Syaoran turned his bloodied sword to one side, catching the next slash, and he pushed Nave back. He jumped to his feet and attacked on his own. Every shot either of them made was either blocked or missed entirely. Neither Syaoran nor Nave could get the advantage over the other. But eventually, they struck at the same time and pushed their swords together as hard as they could. They could see the sweat dripping off each other's face. Nave decided to cheat and kicked Syaoran in the gut, then smacked him over the back of the head with the broad side of the sword, sending Syaoran crashing to the ground. Nave back flipped about 5 feet away and held his hand out. "Now, it's time for my revenge!" A ball of black energy grew in his hand as he prepared to blast Syaoran into oblivion. Everyone stood in shock. Sakura screamed Syaoran's name but decided she would have to do something. She grabbed a card and tossed it overhead. "SWORD CARD!" Sakura charged forward with her gleaming sword in hand. Nave fired and the ball of deadly magic was heading straight at Syaoran, who lifted his head to see it barreling closer. But Sakura stepped in the way and swung her sword. It connected with the energy, and sent it barreling back at Nave. H screamed as his own ball of energy collided with him in a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, Nave lay on the ground motionless. Sakura helped Syaoran to his feet. Syaoran blushed. "Umm… thanks." He said. "You saved me so many times today." Sakura smiled. "It's okay. I couldn't just sit by and watch you be blown away. I had to do something. And I didn't break my promise. I didn't use the Power Card in anger!" Eriol stepped forward. "Well, one question. If you killed Nave, why are we still here? Shouldn't we back in the shrine?"  
  
Suddenly, Nave began to stir. He sprang to his feet and as quick as lightning ran to Sakura and punched her in the face. Hard. She went tumbling backwards. Eriol turned her over when she landed near her feet. "She's out cold!" Eriol said. Syaoran growled. "LEAVE SAKURA ALONE!" He went to punch Nave in the face, but Nave dodged it and kicked Syaoran, sending him flying to the ground. Yue, Ruby, Kero, and Spinnel all charged at Nave at once. Nave quickly beat them all to the ground with kicks and punches. Natalie, Kittie, and Eriol stood side by side, preparing to all cast a spell at once, but Nave got there and knocked them to the ground. Kittie landed beside Syaoran, and Syaoran's stone rolled out her pocket. She thought of something. Kittie grabbed the stone, got to her feet and helped Syaoran stand up. She opened his hands and put the stone in his palm. "Syaoran, I figured out what this is!" Kirei Kittie said. "It's an element stone!" Syaoran looked confused. "A what?" Kittie thought for a second. "How should I put this? An element stone is… made up of… pure magic of one type. I think this is made of fire magic! Concentrate your magic into this, and see what happens!"  
  
Syaoran concentrated hard into the stone. He felt his body temperature rising. After about ten seconds, his right arm went ablaze. Syaoran gasped. His right arm was covered in fire, but it didn't burn. He could feel the power coursing through his veins. He saw Nave walking slowly towards the unconscious Sakura. Nave reached into his boot and pulled out a handgun! He aimed it at Sakura. "Well, good-bye, bitch." Nave said softly, as he got ready to pull the trigger. Syaoran put his arm out. "HEY ASSHOLE! SUCK ON THIS!" A wave of fire spread through the air, never touching the ground to avoid Sakura, and sent Nave flying back, and the handgun went flying.  
  
Yue and Eriol looked on in amazement as Nave flopped on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames on his body. "H-h-h-how did you do that?!" Eriol asked. Syaoran turned to him and showed them the stone in his hand, which was still on fire. "This thing. It's some stone I found in this shrine. I just concentrate my powers through it." Yue and Eriol remembered their stones. They took them out and put them in their palms. They concentrated, and started to feel weird. When Eriol looked at his hand, his blue stone had turned his arm into pure water. Yue's arm became wrapped up in a series of vines that grew out of his arm. Eriol tried it out and blasted the flaming Nave with a river of water. Yue tried it out, and vines grew from the ground and lifted Nave off the ground and began to strangle him. Nave grabbed his throat, trying to rip-off Yue's vines. Instead, Nave grabbed a small dagger from under his clothes and cut himself loose, dropping to the ground.  
  
He stood up, and stared down Syaoran, Eriol, and Yue with big bloodshot eyes. Natalie and Kittie were trying to wake Sakura up as she lay out cold on the ground, with blood running down her lip from the punch. Kero and Spinnel also tried to wake Sakura.  
  
Nave jumped forward towards the three boys. He ripped off his cape to reveal a hug stack of weapons strapped to his back. Swords, guns, explosives, anything you could think of. He pulled out a small machine gun and fired away. They all rolled away, and Yue had a vine fly from his hands and smash the gun right in his hands into a million pieces. "Dammit…" Nave mumbled. "But I'll get these bastards one way or another." He grabbed a pair of grenades and tossed them at the boys. Eriol shot a blast of water at one, shoving off one end, while Syaoran kicked it right back and hit it with a blast of fire only a few feet from Nave. The force of the explosion threw him back. "Argh! Dammit! These kids are tough. Okay, time to play defensively 'til I think of a plan."  
  
Syaoran looked over at the girls and Kero and Spinnel trying to wake up Sakura. "It's all his fault… he killed Sakura's father… if it weren't for him… Alright, time to end this!" He thought to himself. Syaoran charged up all the power he could. His eyes burned. His hair practically swirled like an open flame. The rest of his body began to go ablaze. He watched Nave slowly stumble to his feet. Eriol noticed Syaoran's entire body beginning to burn. "Syaoran, what are you doing? Are you insane? You're using too much power. We don't know if these could have an effect!" Syaoran didn't respond. He just mumbled to himself, "This is for Sakura…"  
  
Syaoran slammed his fist into the ground with an Earth shattering force. Everyone except Nave and Syaoran fell to the ground with its force. A crack in the ground traveled towards Nave. Nave looked on in fear, until he grabbed a small stone from his pocket when the crack reached him. The ground underneath Nave exploded in a sea of flames. No demon could have survived it. Syaoran's entire body was engulfed in flames, but he started to relax until the flames vanished. Syaoran panted heavily as he rested. The entire area Nave was in was completely covered in smoke and fire. Eriol and Yue relaxed as well and returned to normal. They all sat down and took a breather. Syaoran saw Sakura beginning to move. "Sakura!" He screamed as he stood up. Sakura lifted her head and saw him. "SYAORAN! LOOK OUT!" she screamed, as something flew out of the fire and exploded at Syaoran's feet. Sakura watched in horror. The three boys were blown ten feet back. Kittie noticed the gems flying from their hands. Natalie, Kittie, Kero, and Spinnel all ran over to help, but something else flew from the fire and landed at the feet of everyone but Sakura. They were all blown back. Sakura watched a dark silhouette emerge from the fire. It was Nave.  
  
Nave had a dark black shield around him that disappeared when he stepped out. He was carrying some kind of grenade launcher. He laughed a bloodcurdling laugh. "You little punks aren't the only ones who can use magic stones!" He reached to his belt and pulled out a dagger. He stepped over the unconscious bodies of Sakura's friends. He picked up Syaoran's head and slapped him. "WAKE UP SO I CAN KILL YOU FACE TO FACE!" Syaoran began to move. He slowly opened his eyes to see the dagger inches away from his throat. "I warned you that I would kill you kids… Now die! I shall avenge you, Rosaria!" He raised his dagger high and was ready to stab, when there was a loud clang of metal on metal and the dagger flew from Nave's hands. He turned to see Sakura using to Sword Card. Sakura pointed the sword at Nave's head. "Okay, stand up, and step away from Syaoran." Nave slowly rose to his feet, with his hands in the air. Syaoran lifted his head and rested on his elbows. "Sakura? What—WATCH OUT!" Syaoran said as he watched Nave slowly reaching for the weapons on his back. But before Sakura could react, Nave pulled out a kendo stick and smashed the side of Sakura's head. There was a loud crack, both of the stick and the sound of Sakura's bones. Sakura's body rolled to the edge of the rock. Syaoran tried to get up to help, but he was in too much pain to move. He just could sit there and watch as Nave sat on Sakura's stomach, pinning her down. Sakura's sword was by her side. Nave drew a handgun and put the barrel of the gun right into Sakura's forehead.  
  
"Heh… finally, no more interruptions. Now I can kill you once and for all! My love's death shall no go in vain. I shall kill you and use that hatred to become even more powerful!" Sakura started to cry. She was terrified. She couldn't move and there was a gun stuck to her forehead. Syaoran rose to his feet, clutching his chest in pain. "Sakura! I'm… I'm coming! OW! Argh!" Syaoran collapsed again on the ground. He could only lift his head to see what would happen. He couldn't bear to watch.  
  
Nave laughed. "You know what? That scared look on your face… it reminds me of the same look on the face of my daughter, right before I shot her… This is too perfect!" Sakura's blood began to boil. She couldn't take it. She felt her sword next to her and grabbed the handle. "You sick bastard!" She screamed as she swung her sword, severing the arm Nave was holding the gun with. Syaoran looked shocked.  
  
Nave fell off of Sakura and stood up, clenching where his arm used to be. He was hysterical. Sakura jumped to her feet and slashed again, giving him a cut on his leg.  
  
"This is for me!" She slashed again. She continued to slash, as she dedicated the damage to all those who have been hurt by him.  
  
"This is for my father! This is for Touya! This is for Tomoyo! Mia! Natalie and Kittie! Vincent! Gene! The mages! Meilin! Mihoshi! My school friends! Syaoran's sisters!"  
  
Nave's entire body was drenched in blood from all of the cuts. He staggered on his feet. Sakura saw Syaoran trying to stand, but was too hurt from the burns. She felt so angry.  
  
"AND THIS IS FOR SYAORAN!" She jumped forward and stabbed the sword through Nave's chest. Nave gasped for air. Sakura held it there in silence for a moment, before quickly sliding the bloodstained sword out quickly. Nave held his chest in pain. His hands were drenched in blood, like the rest of him. He stumbled backwards, and fell off the rock. He screamed all the way down until he fell out of sight.  
  
Sakura stood in silence at the edge of the rock with her hair blowing gently in the wind. Blood dripped from the tip of her sword. She had killed Nave by her own hands. Her father's death had been avenged.  
  
To be continued… 


	34. Retuning to the Village... One Last Time...

Sniff… I'm so sorry about the lack of updates… I'm very sorry… I've just been lazy… go ahead and flame me… as soon as you finish the new chapter! ^^ Also, I have a good idea for a SEQUEL! YAY!  
  
Chapter 34  
  
Sakura just stood at the edge of the rock, staring down where Nave fell to his doom. She didn't say anything. She didn't move a muscle. She just stood in silence as her hair and dress flapped in the wind. Her once-white dress was now drenched in blood and covered in dirt. Her halo was gone, apparently falling off sometime during the fight. She turned her head back and saw Syaoran struggling to stand. He still had his halo, and seemed to be alright, despite the slight burns from the explosions. Everyone else was still out cold on the ground. As soon as Syaoran got to his feet, their eyes met. Sakura gasped and turned around again. Syaoran slowly walked to the edge with her. Syaoran smiled, despite the pain.  
  
Suddenly, everything went black. When the light returned, they found themselves all back in the statue room. At their feet was one of the magic- enhancing stones. It was a bright golden color. Syaoran picked it up and put it in his robe. He turned towards Sakura. "I'm very impressed, Sakura! You did that all on your own. None of us could defeat him together, and you beat him on your own." Sakura turned her head away and started to cry. "…Just leave me alone…" She said through her tears. "Sakura?"  
  
At that point, Eriol had woken up. He stood up and noticed Sakura's backpack next to him. He reached in and took out a magic-absorbing stone. He walked towards the statue. The portal was still open in the bowl of the statue. Eriol threw it in, and the portal slowly closed and vanished. He stood there, waiting to see what would happen.  
  
"…Just leave me alone… I don't deserve to be near you…" Sakura said, with her eyes full of tears. Syaoran didn't know what she was talking about. "What do you mean? Of course you—" "NO!" Sakura turned around and shouted. Syaoran couldn't stand to see the tears in her beautiful emerald eyes. "I can't believe what I've just done…" She cried some more, envisioning it all over again. "I killed him… I killed Nave… He wasn't a demon, just a man with powers… I'VE KILLED ANOTHER HUMAN!" Syaoran started to cry as well. "Sakura, he was evil… he killed your father, after all… He had it coming." "No, Syaoran, your wrong. Look at my dress… it's stained with the blood of another human… just like me… It doesn't matter how evil he was… I can't kill. A life is a life. Up 'til now, we've only faced demons. Demons that weren't really alive. They had no purpose; they were just forced to do Sadin's business. They couldn't be changed… but Nave was different. Nave wasn't a demon… Nave was a human. He could be changed, yet… I just decided to kill him off… I'M A MONSTER!" Sakura covered her face with her hands and cried even harder. Syaoran couldn't take it. "Sakura, none of that is true! It's not your fault! Nave tried to kill you! You only defended yourself. You were protecting people, not killing them. If that psycho had lived, he would have taken countless lives. You've only slain a monster. He would never change. You're not a monster, you're a hero. And… if you hadn't killed him… he would have killed us… You've saved my life again." Sakura blushed. "Umm… I… that can't be true… I'm evil… I still killed someone. I'm usually cool and under control, but since I got here, I've lost my temper twice now… Just like you told me not to…" Syaoran blushed as well. "Sakura, you're not evil. Nave wasn't a demon. He was worse. And everyone loses his or her temper sometimes. I've done it here too, even against Nave… When I saw you out cold, I went berserk and I almost used too much of my power. Look, you are far from evil… in fact… Sakura… there has been something I've been meaning to tell you…"  
  
Syaoran wrapped his arm around Sakura's shoulders. He moved her lips closer to his… "Sakura…" Sakura blushed deeply. "I've known this all for a long time, but I could never tell you…" "What is it, Syaoran?" Syaoran blushed even worse. "Sakura, I lo—"  
  
BOOM!  
  
There was a large explosion. Eriol ran up to them. "I hate to break up this moment, but I put a stone in the statue, and this place is coming down! We gotta go!" Syaoran took his arm away from Sakura and they ran around waking everyone up. Everyone appeared a little sore, but otherwise okay. Yue held his hand out, and fired a barrage of small crystal-like balls of energy at the wall. In a few seconds, the entire wall collapsed. Sakura grabbed the Fly Card and summoned her Angel Wings. Syaoran walked over to her, and put his halo on her head. "Looks better on you anyways." He said. Sakura blushed.  
  
The shrine began to shake violently. Walls and pillars began to topple. Sakura held onto Syaoran tight as everyone ran and jumped out the whole in the wall into the open sky. The sun was beginning to set in the distance. Sakura spread her wings and gently glided down. Eriol, Natalie, and Kittie cast spells that slowly lowered them down. Keroberos, Yue, Ruby Moon, and Spinnel gently flew to the ground. Behind them, they watched the entire castle topple, and explode into nothingness. The last shrine was destroyed…  
  
Sakura dived bomb to the ground in the center of the village. She found Tomoyo and Mia waiting for them there alone. Tomoyo was laughing out loud and smiling. "You did it, Sakura! I knew you could! I knew from the day I met you, you could do anything! You're the greatest, Sakura!" Tomoyo turned away, praising Sakura as her eyes sparkled in delight. A sweat drop rolled down Sakura, Syaoran, and Mia's faces. "Sigh, Tomoyo, you'll never change…" Sakura muttered under her breath. Mia spotted Sakura's blood stained dress. "Oh my God! What happened? Are you okay? Do you need some help?" Sakura put her head down. "No… I'm alright…" Syaoran turned to Mia. "…It's not her blood. It's Nave's." Tomoyo and Mia looked shocked. "Did you just say Nave?!" "Umm… yeah. Why?" Syaoran asked. They stood in awe. "Nave…" Mia said slowly, "Was the toughest of all of Sadin's known minions. Everyone who fought him died. But you killed him, Syaoran?" Tomoyo started to cry. "I've got a confession…" She cried even more. "I told you, my parents were killed by demons… but that isn't true… Nave… he alone raided the village. He thought I would die anyways from the illness I had, so he decided to do a little mental torture… and killed my parents right in front of me…"  
  
They stood in silence. But Tomoyo dried her tears. Syaoran said, "Well, I have a confession too. I didn't kill Nave." They gasped. "You mean Nave is still out there?" Mia asked. "No, he's gone… Sakura killed him…" They turned towards Sakura as she put her wings away. She nodded. "I… couldn't let him get away. He killed my father, too… But I feel guilty… I've killed another human…" She started to cry. Syaoran hugged her. "I've told you already… You only did what was right. You saved me, Yue, Kero, Natalie, Kittie, and those strangers… You saved us all." Sakura buried her face into his chest and cried her eyes out. Sakura quickly looked up after a minute of crying. No one else said a word. "S-S-Syaoran?" "Yes, what is it?" He replied. "What were you trying to tell me up in the shrine before we had to leave?"  
  
Syaoran's whole body froze. His face turned red. It had already taken all the bravery in him to try and confess his love before, but now he had to do it again. "Ummm… well… I… alright, I'll just say it." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and brought her closer. "Sakura, I l—" "UGH!" Sakura interrupted when she closed her eyes and fell into Syaoran's arm as he fell to the ground. "Sakura?" Syaoran asked. "…" No response. "…She's out cold. She must have used too much magic out there. I'll just let her sleep…" Sakura's halo, which Syaoran gave to her, vanished as her magic did. Syaoran stood up, carrying her in his arms. "Sigh… I just wish I could tell her… how much… I love her… without being interrupted…" "AHA! So you admit it! You DO love her! HA!" Tomoyo screamed.  
  
An icy chill went up Syaoran's spine. "You… you're still there?! You heard everything?!" Tomoyo gave a nice big smile. "Yep. I heard it all! So, you want me to tell your precious girlfriend how much you love her? Hmmm?" Syaoran's face turned redder than ever. "Please! Don't! Don't tell Sakura!" He pleaded. Tomoyo laughed. "Oh, don't worry, I won't tell, but I might if you never do…" Syaoran growled. "Dammit… blackmailed…" Tomoyo giggled. "Don't call it that! I like to think of it as doing you a favor by helping you a little with your feelings. Okay, but anyways, bring her inside, we'll have a look at her wounds and yours and we'll let you get some rest. Then Mia will fill you in on the last stage of your mission." Syaoran growled as he lifted Sakura and walked in. Syaoran lied Sakura down on her bed and walked out. Eriol, Ruby, Spinnel, Yue, Kero, Natalie, and Kittie greeted him as he left, and as Tomoyo, Mia, and some other mage's carrying medical supplies and new clothes ran into Sakura's room.  
  
Syaoran asked Eriol, "Okay, now that things that have settled down, can you at least tell me why you're helping us?" Eriol frowned. "Well, isn't that gratitude. I've told you before, we are allies, for now, but I can't tell you why. But we will be there for the last battle." And with that, Eriol, Ruby, and Spinnel walked away. Natalie and Kittie walked to him. Natalie spoke up. "Thanks again for rescuing us. We really appreciate it. So, we decided to help you in your fight against Sadin! We're coming along!" But before Syaoran could answer her, they ran off to rest. Kero and Yue stepped up next. "How is Sakura?" Yue asked. "She was hit with an arrow, and she seems upset." Syaoran sighed. "She'll be fine, but I'll take care of her just in case." Kero spoke up. "And I'm sure you need us to tell you—" "That you'll be joining me and Sakura in the battle against Sadin, right?" They nodded and walked off.  
  
Syaoran leaned back against Sakura's door for a few minutes. He was very tired. A few minutes later, Syaoran started to doze off. Then Tomoyo opened the door and Syaoran fell to the floor. "Oops… sorry Syaoran!" Syaoran rubbed his head as he stood up. "Ow… what is it? How is Sakura?" He asked. Sakura began to whimper. "Sakura?!" Syaoran exclaimed. He ran next to Sakura. He held her hand. She was changed out of her bloody dress and back into her old Tomeda school skirt she wore when she arrived. "Sakura, what's wrong?" Syaoran asked with a look of concern. "…" Sakura didn't say anything. Tomoyo frowned. "We found out that apparently, Nave had a plan up his sleeves. Apparently, Nave had some kind of poison on his gloves. So when he got a hold on one of Sakura's arrows, he poisoned her." Syaoran looked shocked. "Will she…" Tomoyo smiled. "But don't worry. We may not know what kind, but we removed as much of it as we can. It won't be fatal. She should be fine after a good nights sleep.. but she is in quite a bit of pain." A tear rolled down Syaoran's cheek. "Sakura…"  
  
That's when Tomoyo noticed something on Syaoran's neck. She moved part of his robe down. "Tomoyo, what are you doing?" Tomoyo gasped. "These burns… what happened?" Syaoran sighed. "Nave had quite a bit of explosives. It's just a mild burn." Tomoyo looked closer at it. "Well, maybe so, but I'm going to need to take care of it. Okay, get to your room. There are clothes there, and I'll just—" "NO!" Syaoran screamed. "I'm staying here, by Sakura's side." Tomoyo blushed. "Aww, wanna stay by your love's side?" Syaoran's face turned bright red. "SHHH! Quiet!" He said. Sakura stirred. Syaoran felt her forehead. She had a bit of a fever. "Huh? What? What did you say Tomoyo?" Syaoran blushed even worse. "Ummm, nothing!" He held her slender hands in his. "Just get some rest." Sakura put her head down and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Syaoran…" And Sakura fell asleep gently. Syaoran sat by her side. Tomoyo took out some bandages. "Alright, alright, you can stay here. But I'll put some of these bandages on first." And she wrapped his head as Syaoran sat by her side. Syaoran sat still, holding Sakura's hand. She looked so beautiful in her sleep. But Syaoran's eyelids became heavy… Tomoyo finished putting bandages on him. She placed her hand on the burns and his face glowed for a second. "There, that should help speed up the healing. Syaoran? Are you awake?" Syaoran's head kept drooping. "No… I'm awake… I'm just…" And Syaoran fell asleep. Tomoyo blushed. "Aww… they're both so cute..."  
  
Sakura could finally see the shape of the demon in front of her. IT was a hulking dragon, as flames surrounded them all. Sakura leaped forward, attacking with all her might with her sword, but nothing could do any damage. With one swipe, the dragon took her down. The dragon, with its flaring red eyes, brought its head back like a snake, then, it sprang forward, ready to devour her. But before the dragon could bite, the shadowy figure kicked the dragon's head away, saving her. When the figure stood into the light… SYAORAN!  
  
To be continued… 


	35. Training

Okay, people I'm sorry about the lack of updates again… forgive me… But I have a new chapter and more ideas for the sequel! Tell me what you think: Should I make it another whole fic, or just add the sequel to this directly? Write a review or email me at Wallcrawler86@aol.com! Arigotou!  
  
Chapter 35  
  
"YAH!" Sakura screamed as she woke from her dream, drenched in sweat. She breathed heavily. "Oh… just a dream… another one… now Syaoran is in it. Is this some kind of warning?" She clutched her chest and calmed her breathing. "Just calm down, Sakura…" She put her back down on her pillow, wrapped her arm around Syaoran, and gave him a small peck on the forehead before closing her eyes drowsily. A few moments later, it finally hit her. "YAAH!" Sakura screamed again. This time, Syaoran woke up screaming as well. He sat up and fell backwards off the bed. "HOEEEEEE! SYAORAN! What the hell are you doing sleeping with me in my room?!" Both of their faces turned bright red. Syaoran stood up and rubbed his head. "Grrr… I'd bet anything Tomoyo had something to do with this… I was sitting by your side when I fell asleep. Next thing I know, I wake up sleeping next to you!" There was the sound of laughter as Tomoyo walked in, smiling from ear to ear. "So, did you like my little surprise. They both yelled at once, "TOMOYO! WHY?!" Tomoyo laughed again. "Well, Syaoran fell asleep after I finished bandaging him up, and he's too heavy for me to carry back to his own room, so I just decided to put him in bed with his lo—" Before Tomoyo could finish saying "love," Syaoran jumped up and put his hands over her mouth. "Syaoran, is something wrong?" Sakura asked as a sweat drop rolled down his head as he tried to smile. "Uh, no, just want to talk with her alone for a second!" And he dragged Tomoyo into the hallway. "Tomoyo!" He screamed, "What did I tell you about using the 'L' word around Sakura?!" Tomoyo smiled again. "You mean you still haven't told her? What's taking so long?" Syaoran blushed. "Well, I'VE TRIED already, but I keep getting interrupted… by some rather annoying people…" he growled.  
  
Tomoyo grabbed the bandages and tore them off. "OW!" Syaoran exclaimed in pain. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Tomoyo looked a little angry. "Well, it was time for you to take them off. See? Your wounds are healed. But maybe if you hadn't called me annoying, I wouldn't have pulled them off so fast!" Syaoran growled. That's when Tomoyo noticed a faint mark on Syaoran's forehead. She reached up and rubbed it on her sleeves. "What are you doing, Tomoyo?" "AHA!" Tomoyo put her sleeve in Syaoran's forehead where Sakura had kissed him goodnight. There was a faint pink mark. "You know, the only thing I can think of with this color is the lipstick I gave Sakura last night before you left. Any idea why it might be on you? I doubt you tried to put it on you, missed, and hit your forehead!" Syaoran blushed. "I… I don't know! I really have no idea how it got there!" He turned even redder. "Uh-huh. Yeah right, Romeo! I thought you never told her you love her, and now I find out you've been making out with her in bed behind my back!" "No! Really, I have no idea how it got there! I fell asleep at her side, and just woke up! I'm not lying! I've never made out with Sakura in my life!"  
  
That's also when Syaoran noticed he was dressed in the same clothes he wore when he first arrived in the future. "What the… this isn't what I was wearing when I fell asleep last night…" "Well, of course I change your clothes! No offense, Syaoran, but you need someone better to make up your fashion, and since I know the most abut fashion, it had to be me!" Syaoran looked confused. "You… changed my clothes?" Tomoyo blushed more, but still smiled. "Yeah, but I never noticed how cute you are! Though no where near as cute as Sakura!" Syaoran turned 20 shades of red. "I just regret that I didn't have time to make you and Sakura a matching set of pink outfits for our final battle. Sakura… She can do anything, but I failed to make sure she did it always in a new outfit…" Syaoran tried to picture himself in a pink outfit, but quickly shook it off.  
  
Mia approached. "Syaoran, there you are. Where's Sakura? I need to talk to the both of you." "She's in there. I'll go get her." Syaoran said. Syaoran walked into Sakura's room, and a moment later they both came out. "Ok, come with me. We have a lot to discuss." Mia said as they walked off. Tomoyo was still laughing as they walked away.  
  
They came into the large room where the feast was held when they first arrived. There were the same series of tables as before, and all the mages sat in their seats. But there were far too many empty tables for all the mages to fill. Why were there so many, they asked themselves. Mia sat down at one end of the table, and said to everyone, "We shall begin once our messengers return." Everyone took a seat, and Tomoyo came too. But for some strange reason, Touya, Gene, Vincent, and Meilin were missing. Sakura and Syaoran whispered for a few minutes, wondering where they could be. Tomoyo asked them, "What are you two doing? Getting more lipstick all over Syaoran's face?" Their faces turned red in embarrassment and anger. "No! We're just talking!" Syaoran snapped. Then three of them, Touya, Vincent, and Gene, walked in. Mia stood and walked to them. "So, was your mission a success?" She asked. Touya nodded. "Indeed. With this, Sadin won't stand a chance." Mia turned to Meilin, who was just walking into the room. "Ah, Meilin, just in time. Have you any news to report?" Meilin nodded. "The scouts out there told me they could sense the power. It is starting." Mia smiled. "Excellent! Everything is going according to plan! Touya, let our guests in!" At that, Touya walked outside, and few minutes later, he came back in followed by many people who all took seats at the empty tables. Some appeared to be villagers from Vincent's mountain village, some appeared to be from Meilin's village of warriors, and some appeared to be from Gene's village of archers. Everyone took his or her seats. Sakura and Syaoran looked puzzled. They weren't sure what was going on.  
  
Mia stood up. "Welcome all! Today is a glorious new day! With the destruction of the five shrines, mainly with the help of our dear friends Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li, we have guaranteed Sadin cannot take over our world! We have trapped him!" There was a loud cheer throughout the crowd. "However, this is not the way it shall stay! Our scouts have reported the portal is going to open to Sadin's world soon! And once there, Sadin will fall, and all of the world will be restored! The death and destruction… GONE! The world will be back to the way it should be!" There was another cheer.  
  
Mia stepped away from the table and walked over to a giant map on the wall. "We've learned quite a bit about Sadin's castle from Touya who… umm… 'asked' a few demons for some information." Touya cracked his knuckles and smiled. "'Asked?' Heh. That's one way of putting it…" Mia put a large pointer to the board. "The special stones that Sakura and Syaoran managed to put in each shrine not only absorbed the magic power of each shrine to destroy it, but it reversed the effect! In other words, wherever the demons were coming from, within a few days, a portal will open up going the opposite direction, leading us straight to Sadin's domain! Now, if our information is true, then Sadin's home is a fortress-like castle, filled with demons, slaves, monsters, traps, you name it. Our job is simple. Everyone will storm the castle at once to make a way for us to get through. You will all be assigned specific leaders. The team of Alicia Kittie and Natalie will lead all mages. You two have proven to be quite the team from what I've heard, so the job is yours! Now, Vincent will naturally lead the team of villagers from the mountain. And of course, Gene will lead his village of archers into battle. Meilin will aide the team of warriors into the castle while Mihoshi stays here. That leaves Sakura, Syaoran, Keroberos, Yue, Touya, Tomoyo, and I to find Sadin's chamber and to destroy him, turning the world back to its previous state!" The crowd cheered again.  
  
"What about us?" Eriol asked, stepping forward. "Oh! I almost forgot, but then again, you never did give us you names. In any case, you may join us find Sadin's lair and destroy him. Are you alright with that?" Eriol smiled. "Perfect… I intended to destroy him for interfering with my judgments anyways…" "Judgments?" Syaoran asked allowed. "You'll find out soon enough…" Eriol replied before sitting down.  
  
Mia pointed to the cemetery on the map. Here is where we predict the portal will open in approximately 3 days. When it does, it will be large enough to move our entire army! In three days, we storm his castle once and for all… but until then, we shall prepare!" There was another cheer. "But for now, let us celebrate!" And with that, a row of cooks emerged carrying plates of food to the tables and each village ate its fill and went to bed. (Author's note: Actually, only Sakura, Syaoran, their friends and the mages had beds, the other villages had sent up a camp outside.)  
  
The next few days were a lot of fun, but still required a lot of work. Everyone from every village gathered outside to train. The mages practiced focusing their spells. The archers practiced their accuracy with their bows. Vincent helped teach his villagers how to fire rapidly with their old guns, at least when he wasn't out practicing his sword techniques. The warriors from Meilin's village practiced karate and weight lifting. (Author's note: Sakura tried to sit in on a karate session and join in, but didn't do so well, so she decided to only fight with the Fight Card handy… ^^;;) Meilin practiced in the woods with Mihoshi, even though they agreed Mihoshi was too young to go. No one knew where Kero, Yue, Eriol, Ruby, or Spinnel had disappeared to, though.  
  
However, Sakura and Syaoran did most of the training. On the first day, Syaoran taught Sakura proper sword techniques.  
  
"Okay, Sakura, watch my form." Syaoran leaped forward and sliced right through the trunk of a tree in the woods. Syaoran gave it a push to help it along, and it fell backwards, deeper into the woods. Sakura looked in surprise. "You… expect me to do that?!" Syaoran nodded. Just follow my form. Bend your legs, leap, and swipe in one forward motion. The best way to do the most damage in one attack is to do it all in one fluid motion. If you waver, slow down, speed up, or anything like that, the attack isn't as powerful as it could be. And if what Mia says is true, we need to be ready. Now, just try it." Sakura took a deep breath and leaped at another tree. She struck with force, but her sword only went an inch in and got stuck. She put one foot on the tree and pulled hard to get it out. She fell backwards when it did, and Syaoran helped her to her feet. "Hmm… I think I see your problem. Now, try holding it like this." Syaoran stepped behind her and reached for her hands and held her hands over the sword. Sakura blushed. "He's touching my hands… his hands are so warm… I… I…" She thought. "Sakura, are you listening?" "Hoe?" Syaoran sighed. I was just saying, try holding it like this. Now, try it again."  
  
Sakura took another deep breath. She leaped forward, and her blade went clear through the tree. "I… I did it?" Sakura looked again. It really had worked. Sakura's eyes lit up. She turned to Syaoran and smiled. "I really did it! I did it! I used my sword right!" Syaoran looked panicked. "Ahh! Sakura! Look out!" Syaoran jumped and tackled Sakura down to the ground. The tree fell moments later where she stood. "That was close." Syaoran said, over Sakura with his head turned towards where the tree fell. "That's why I pushed it down I—" Syaoran turned his head, and his nose touched Sakura's. There was a moment of utter silence as they sat face to face and a sweat drop fell on both their heads. "YAH!" Syaoran screamed, as he stood up. His face turned red. "Umm… sorry about that!" he said.  
  
"Sorry about what?" Tomoyo's voice came from the village as she walked to them. "Oh? Are you two blushing? Have you been doing anything out here? Hmm?" Tomoyo said with a smile on her face. They blushed even worse. "Umm… no, we've just been practicing sword techniques. Why?" Sakura asked innocently. "Oh, no reason at all…" Tomoyo said. "By the way, it's time to call it a day, let's go inside. Dinner will be ready soon." And they all walked together back inside.  
  
The next day…  
  
Sakura and Syaoran were practicing their magic out in an open field. Sakura dashed around at lightning speed with the Dash Card, hitting as many targets as she could at the same time with the Sword Card. Syaoran summoned water and fire to build their strength. But as they were practicing, Mia approached. "Sakura! Syaoran! Urgent news!" She stopped in front of them, panting for air. "The portal… gasp… it… it's opening sooner than we thought…" She took a deep breath of air. "It's already opened… we didn't expect it to work this quickly… gasp… We tried to tell you sooner, but now it's too late… A group of the remaining demons have surrounded the portal and are attempting to reverse it so more demons can come! And if they did that, there would be no way back into your time!" They both gasped. "You mean we'll be stuck in this horrible world forever if they do?" Sakura asked frightened. "Sadly, yes." Mia replied. "However, their numbers are small, and it would take quite a long time to seal the portal. It could take them like a week. However, a head on attack would be suicide still. So, we've decided to make a sneak attack tomorrow morning before dawn. So let's go back to the village. We'll begin tomorrow. Besides, it will be night in an hour or two. C'mon. We'll need all the rest we can get. Tomorrow is a big day." And they all ran back to the village. There, they ate dinner, took a warm bath to soothe their bruises from training, and went to bed early…  
  
Syaoran stood hurt over the dragon, sword planted in the ground so he could lean on it. He reached his hand out to help Sakura to her feet when the dragon opened its eyes again. The dragon grabbed Syaoran in its claws and squeezed, with Syaoran's cries ringing throughout the room.  
  
"NO! SYAORAN!" Sakura looked around the room. She was sweating nervously. "These dreams… Syaoran… he can't go! Something terrible will happen! I must warn him!"  
  
She spotted a note along with all of her clothes sitting on a chair. She grabbed the note and read it aloud:  
  
"Sakura,  
  
The battle has already begun. There are more demons than we thought. We may be in for a long battle, but I decided you needed your rest, so I didn't wake you. Here are your clothes and your Clow Cards and all of our supplies are in your backpack. Meet us out in the cemetery where the portal has opened.  
  
From,  
  
Syaoran"  
  
"HOEEEE! I've got to get out there and fast!" Sakura ran for the door, still struggling to pull up her skirt and put on her shirt as she hopped out the door. She fell to the floor, but got up and got her skirt on. When she finally finished getting dressed, she summoned her staff as she ran. "I've got to hurry and warn Syaoran!" She grabbed a card and tossed it ahead of her. "DASH CARD!" And with that, she took off running at lightning speeds to the cemetery.  
  
Sounds of gunfire, magic, and swords clashing filled the air. When Sakura arrived, the whole cemetery had been turned into a battlefield. It was a fierce battle. Sakura summoned the Fly Card, sprouted her wings, and watched for Syaoran. She saw Tomoyo blast a group of demons with a spell, Yue slice away a few demons with a sword, Gene fire a direct shot into a demon's chest, but no Syaoran. Suddenly, she spotted him fist fighting with a group of him. Syaoran punched a demon straight to the ground.  
  
"SYAORAN!" She yelled. He looked up. "WE NEED TO TALK!" Syaoran turned quickly around and kicked three demons in the face at once. "IN A MINUTE SAKURA! I'M A LITTLE BUSY RIGHT NOW!" He turned again and began fighting.  
  
Sakura had to help. "SHOT CARD!" A beam of light left the staff and began to fire at her enemies. One by one, the enemies fell. As soon as enough demons fell, everyone rushed for the portal that was wide open. Hordes of villagers ran through it, disappearing instantly. Sakura landed, watching her friends jump through. "Sakura! I'm over here!" Syaoran reached out to grab her hand. "What did you want to—" Suddenly someone bumped into Syaoran and he fell backwards through the portal. "SYAORAN!" Sakura leaped forward and disappeared….  
  
To be continued…  
  
So, what did you think? We're nearing the end… But I have a sequel ready to start! 


	36. Sadin Appears and Sakura Becomes a Trait...

Well, it's time for another chapter, this time, earlier than expected! With me getting so many ideas for the sequel and schoolwork, I'm surprised I had it this early! Oh and arigotou to all who reviewed! I didn't think I was that good, but 140 reviewers can't be wrong, can they? ^^ Also, don't worry, I'll be starting the sequel AS SOON AS I FINISH THIS, so that means you won't have to wait a few months until I start! ^^ I may even finish the first chapter before… Well, anyways, onto the new chapter… where… Sakura becomes a traitor to her own cause?!  
  
Also, on a side note: To one reviewer who said Tomoyo changing Syaoran's clothes was weird… well, yeah, but I only did it to show how obsessed she still was with fashion! ^^;; I didn't mean for it to be THAT way!  
  
Chapter 36  
  
Sakura floated helplessly through the portal after Syaoran. Everything was white. She couldn't feel anything. Slowly, the bright whiteness turned to pitch-blackness. Sakura was flung from the portal and landed face first on the ground. She lifted her head to notice Syaoran helping her up. She looked around her. It was a barren wasteland.  
  
The ground was scorched and a dull red. No plants could be seen. It was anyone's guess how they could breathe. The sky was dark black. Barely any light shone, except for that of a bright silver moon. This was Sadin's world. The entire army stood in silence. Up ahead lay Sadin's home. It was a mammoth castle with a huge drawbridge in front. It looked right out of a fairy tale. No one knew what to say. The moment was upon them.  
  
Syaoran turned to Sakura. "Now, what were you trying to tell me?" Sakura began to cry. "Syaoran, you can't fight. You can't!" Syaoran looked confused. "What are you talking about?" Syaoran calmed herself down. "Those dreams… the ones I've told you about… They've finally become clear… They're telling me you'll get hurt if you fight…" "…" Syaoran was speechless. "No, I have to fight." Syaoran said, facing away from Sakura. She turned to him, with tears flowing from her eyes. "No! You can't!" Syaoran turned back. "Sakura, I have no choice. We're stuck in this dimension. There is no way back. We are stuck here unless Sadin is defeated. All of our work will be for nothing if we don't destroy Sadin, and reclaim the lives of our friends. Don't you want to see your father again?" "…" Sakura was speechless. "That's what I thought. I'm going to fight. I'm not about to watch you die in battle either, just because I was too afraid to fight because of some stupid dream."  
  
There was another moment of silence before the drawbridge opened. Out stepped an entire fleet of demons. They all gathered right off the bridge. There were at least 300 of them. Touya stepped to the front of the army and stared at the enemy for a moment. He drew his sword and pointed it at the demons. "ATTACK!"  
  
Both sides charged. The army divided into 4 groups: The archers went to one side and fired, the mountain villagers went in front of them and fired their rifles, the Black Mages stood back and cast fire and lighting at the demons, the Blue Mages surrounded the entire army with a bright blue shield to stop all attacks, and the warriors stood at the edge of the shield and threw rocks and waited with swords in case any demon tried to break through.  
  
The demons began to drop like flies. Barrages of attacks continued and the demons fell. However, there was no end in sight. How could there be this many demons? It seemed like for every demon that fell by arrow, bullet, fire, rock, or anything; two more came to replace him. Sakura and Syaoran sat in front of the shield along with Meilin and her warriors. They both took their swords and prepared to fight when Eriol came up from behind and tapped them on the shoulder. "It's no use staying here. This battle is just a distraction. There is no end to this wave of demons. I can feel it. Something… is making demons in there. We must destroy it if we hope to get in. Especially before our armies wear out." Eriol grabbed them by the hands and ran out the back of the army, taking a long route out of the vision of the demons. Eventually, they wrapped all the way around, and came to the sidewalls of the castle without being spotted. Everyone was already there: Touya, Tomoyo, Mia, Kero, Yue, Eriol, Ruby, and Spinnel were there.  
  
Tomoyo stepped over to Eriol. "Excuse me, but what's the plan?" Eriol looked at the wall. "I can sense some power in here. It is of great power… almost limitless evil. It is creating an entire army of those demons. Unless it stops, the demons will keep coming. And at this rate, the villagers will only last a few hours. They will soon run out of ammo and energy." Sakura gasped. "That's terrible! What can we do? The villagers can't do anything, trying to hold them back, and the demons keep coming! What can we do?" Eriol smiled. "Simple. We break in, sneak to wherever the power is coming from, and destroy it without being spotted so the armies can defeat the remaining demons and charge in." A sweat drop rolled down everyone's head. "Oh, that's it. Oh, that's just too easy." Syaoran said sarcastically. Eriol ignored the remark and looked at the wall. "Hmm… ah, here it is." Eriol put his hands on the wall and sent a charge of energy into the wall, causing it to crumble. They stepped in and found themselves in the castle's armory.  
  
"Quick! I think I heard a noise come from in here!" A demon cried out as he entered the armory with another demon. "Are you sure? I don't see anything." "WOAH! Look at that! The wall collapsed over here!" There was a moment of silence. "Umm… are you there?" The demon turned and spotted his friend, bleeding on the floor unconscious. "What the hell?!" The demon ran to help his friend, when he heard the cracking of knuckles from behind him. Moments later, the demon was strangled to the floor.  
  
A few seconds later, the lids popped off all the crates and everyone emerged, except Touya, who was still strangling the demon. Tomoyo held a mace in her hands. "Well, I think that went smoothly." Tomoyo stated as she put the mace away. "I knock one out, Touya strangles the other." "It's not done yet, Tomoyo." Touya said as he dragged the body of a demon behind a crate. About 30 seconds later, he came out wearing the demons tuxedos and shades. "This should help bring these bastards down. Just set up a trap for these goons." Touya ran around the corner as everyone pressed against the wall. Touya spotted a pair of guards by a door where demons periodically emerged from in droves. Touya grinned. "COME QUICK! YOU TWO! GUARDING THE DOOR!" The guards ran to him. "What's wrong?" "Some mage's are hiding in the armory! Quickly! They're charging up for some kind of spell!" "Yikes! Let's go!"  
  
They ran down the short hallway, but Touya stopped at the end and waited. A few seconds later, the two guards were flung against a wall. When Touya reentered, he found the guards under Syaoran and Yue. "Ok," Touya said, "the guards are gone, but the demons are still coming. I'll wait until the next wave comes, and then we all move." Touya ran out in the hallway, still disguised. A few seconds later, they heard the door open and feet go running down the hallway. A few moments later, Syaoran peeked his head out and caught a glimpse of Touya. He got the signal, and said, "Okay, let's go!" They ran down the hallway and entered the door. Once inside, they spotted their target.  
  
They stood in a huge room. It must have been the main corridor. There was a long red rug that went from the door all the way up the stairs to a huge door. The room was of gray bricks, covered with candles, art, tapestries, and other things. At the front of the room floated a green large crystal. Eriol spoke. "That is it. That crystal… it contains the power. But I can feel it's power surging. It is going to create more demons! We must destroy it!" Before Eriol could finish, Syaoran charged and smashed the crystal into a billion pieces with his sword. "It's done. I can't feel its power."  
  
"You have foiled my plans for the LAST TIME!"  
  
Everybody jumped back and braced themselves for combat. "That voice!" Syaoran exclaimed. "I recognize it from the shrine in the sky!"  
  
"Yes, it is I…" They all turned to see a dark figure emerging from the shadows… "Sadin."  
  
They finally met the monster of all time. He was a tall and skinny man, with long dark gray hair to his shoulders. He had no pupils; his entire eyes were a fiery crimson red. He had a sinister smile as he walked slowly down the long stares. He wore a black, long cape and a red and black suit.  
  
"So, you've finally done it. You've destroyed the shrines, killed my best soldiers, and just now you destroyed the very source of all my demon slaves. You think you've done pretty well, don't you? I mean, what else can I do? I can't get to your world now, so you've one haven't you?" Syaoran smiled. "Yeah, and the only thing left is to destroy you and undo everything you've done! You're helpless now!" Sadin smiled. "Helpless am I?" He gave a maniacal laugh that sent chills down their spines. "I don't think so. What if I told you that you've all made one fatal mistake?" Mia growled. "What are you talking about?" "YOU!" Sadin pointed to Mia. "You've made a mistake in your deductions. You see, the Clow Cards… you thought that the shrines would absorb their powers and open the portal to your world from here. But that is where you were wrong. The shrines were portals themselves! They were designed to send the Clow Cards directly to me!" They all gasped. "That's right, I'm the one who was supposed to take the cards and open the portal myself, and now you've brought the all the cards to me directly! I must thank you."  
  
None of them knew what to think. Now Sadin could get to their world if he managed to get Sakura's Clow Cards! Touya clenched his fist and took off the demons sunglasses. "You bastard…" He mumbled. He charged up the stairs, drawing a dagger from his side. "TOUYA, NO!" Sakura yelled, but Touya didn't listen. He brought his arm back and went to stab Sadin. But before he could, Sadin simply raised one hand in Touya's face. His whole body froze in mid-air. Touya couldn't move a muscle. "What… what are you doing to me, you bastard?!" Sadin grinned, but said nothing. He brought his hand back, and then slammed it forward again, causing Touya's body to go flying through the air about 50 feet and land at the feet of his friends. Sakura rushed over to him and kneeled down.  
  
"Are you alright, brother?" Touya slowly lifted his head. "Yeah… I'll be alright." Sakura slapped him across the face. "YOU IDIOT! DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Touya looked shocked. "Touya, I know you don't want to see me get hurt, but I don't want to see you get hurt, either! And that was just plain stupid! For all we know, he could have torn you up!" Touya turned away. "I… I… I'm sorry…"  
  
Sakura stood up and held out a Clow Card. "Sadin, is this what you want? Well, you'll have to take them from us!" Sakura summoned the staff and threw a card in the air. "SWORD CARD!" The staff changed to a long, sleek, sword. Syaoran drew his sword, Tomoyo and Mia grabbed their wands, and everyone else prepared to fight.  
  
"You all plan to fight me at once? Seems kind of unfair… to you." He held out hi arm, and a surge of lighting escaped from his palm, shocking everyone in a bright flash. The pain was unbearable. Syaoran watched everyone else pass out before him, then, Sadin stopped, and Syaoran fell to the floor, watching Sadin walk closer with an evil grin.  
  
Syaoran woke up, lying on a board in a small prison cell. He rubbed his eyes. His head was pounding. "Ugh… what happened? Sakura? SAKURA!" Syaoran sat up and looked around. There was no sign of anyone else. There weren't even any bars to act as windows. The entire room was solid brick. A single torch lit the room. Syaoran tapped each wall. They were all solid. No other cells were next to him. He was alone. There was a large, locked wooden door. Syaoran pressed against it, but the door wouldn't budge.  
  
Syaoran sat back down on the board that was supposed to be a bed and started to cry. "Dammit… trapped. What am I gonna do? Sakura… I hope she is alright…"  
  
Suddenly, the door swung open.  
  
"Come to me…" Sadin's voice echoed in his mind. "…It must be a trap. Why else would he let me go? …But I don't have a choice. I have to help Sakura!" And Syaoran ran out the door.  
  
Sadin sat gleaming over a small crystal on a table. Inside he could see Syaoran walking out the door into his plan. He gave a small grin. "Why bother kill them myself when I can torture them until they do it or just give up themselves? Heh… Good bye, 'heroes.'"  
  
Syaoran stepped into a dark room with no light at all. He couldn't see anything. He felt his way around until he came to a small door. He opened it. The next room was just as dark, but he could make out the shadowy figure of someone up ahead. When he stepped into the room, the lights brightened. He instantly recognized the figure's back. "SAKURA! YOU'RE ALRGHT!" He charged forward and hugged her from behind. "I was worried something might have happened to you…" Sakura didn't even move.  
  
"Sakura? Is something the matter? You feel cold…" Syaoran said as he let go and took a few steps back. "…I've seen the light. The truth." Sakura said. Syaoran looked confused. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Syaoran took another step back. "Syaoran, I've seen the truth. Sadin showed me himself. He is right. If we just give in to him, the world will be a better place."  
  
Syaoran gasped. "What the hell are you talking about?! Please tell me I'm not hearing this!" Sakura turned around. She didn't seem like Sakura at all. "Syaoran, join us… Sadin… when he rules all, there can finally be peace." Syaoran growled. "Sakura, I don't know what happened to you, but I'm not going to let this happen!" Sakura growled as well. "So you won't join us?" She asked. "NEVER!" Syaoran screamed. "I don't know what has turned you into a traitor, but I intend to find out!" Sakura pointed her sword that she already had ready towards Syaoran. "Then if you are not with me, you are against me. I'm going to have to kill you!"  
  
Sakura jumped forward and slashed at Syaoran, cutting the front of his shirt, but he jumped to one side before she could really do any damage. "Sakura, what the hell are you doing?" Sakura didn't answer. She just continued to slash at Syaoran while he dodged. "Sakura, I'm NOT going to fight you! Never!" He said as he dodged. "Then you will die." Sakura said coldly. Syaoran couldn't understand what was happening. He had never seen Sakura like this. So uncaring. Even when she had used her anger as a weapon against the demon in the volcano shrine and Nave, he could feel she did it to protect others, because she cared. Now, he couldn't feel that. What had happened to Sakura?  
  
Suddenly, Syaoran began to tire down. He was losing his strength, but Sakura showed no sign of becoming the least bit tired. Suddenly, he had to stop and take a rest. While he slowed down, Sakura kicked him in the chest and he was sent flying across the room. He lifted his head slowly and sat up when he saw Sakura take a slash that hit his arm. "AHH! MY ARM!" Syaoran yelped in pain. He saw that the cut wasn't deep, but just enough to draw a little blood. Sakura pointed the tip of her blade directly at his face. "Heh… you're pathetic." She said. "You won't fight. You won't join our side. You refuse to do anything. You're weak… You know, I should have seen this sooner in you. Maybe after this, I'll try to convert some of my ex- friends. Tomoyo perhaps? How 'bout my brother?"  
  
Anger surged through Syaoran's veins. He grabbed his sword and struck Sakura's sword away. "Huh? What the hell?!" Sakura exclaimed. Syaoran just stood there with his sword ready. "…Let's go." Syaoran said. Sakura looked angry. "So, finally decided to fight back? I guess I'll just have to finish you the hard way!"  
  
A great fight broke out. Sword for sword, fist for fist, Syaoran and Sakura matched and blocked each other's attacks. It seemed to last forever, until Syaoran threw a punch at her stomach. Sakura grabbed his fist and held her sword up high in the other hand, ready to slice him in half. But before she could do that, Syaoran purposely dropped his sword and grabbed her hand with the sword. "Wh-what are you doing?!" She asked nervously. Syaoran yanked her closer with both hands. He arched his back and tossed Sakura at least 5 feet away.  
  
Sakura quickly got to her knees and grabbed her sword, but before she knew what was happening and could get to her feet, Syaoran grabbed his sword, leaped, and stabbed. The sword went clear through Sakura's stomach. Syaoran saw the look of horror on her face as she gasped for air. Syaoran slid his sword out, and Sakura fell face first to the floor… dead.  
  
Syaoran couldn't believe what he had just done. He had just killed Sakura…  
  
Or had he?  
  
Syaoran kicked over the body and looked at her face. "Just as I thought. You're just an imposter. You couldn't have been Sakura. The REAL Sakura would never hurt any of her friends. And the Real Sakura would never fight without being attack first." Indeed, "Sakura's" face was dissolving, and in its place was the face of a female demon. Someone tried to trick him into thinking it was her, so he wouldn't fight.  
  
Syaoran looked around. At the opposite end of the room was another door. He stepped forward and pushed it open. He looked up. "Sadin, I know you're watching. I recommend you don't try something like that again… for your sake."  
  
And Syaoran stepped through…  
  
To be continued…  
  
Well now, did you actually think I'd turn Sakura into a traitor? Or have Syaoran kill her? Of course not! Apparently, there is nothing Sadin won't stoop to… 


	37. Sakura Awakens

My story will be over soon… very soon… but I have a short chapter here… the final battle doth approach…  
  
Chapter 37  
  
Sakura rubbed her head. "Ugh… What the heck happened? Ugh… my back, my head, my chest, my legs… they're all so sore…" She sat up on her bed. "Syaoran, are you there?" She sat in silence. "Syaoran? Huh? What's this? It's the Clow Cards! But… why didn't they take them?"  
  
There was a bang on the door. "Are you awake?" A voice came from the other side. "Hoe? Who's there?" The door slammed open. In stepped two guards who grabbed her arms and dragged her arms and dragged her to the floor. "What? Where are you taking me?"  
  
A few minutes later, after being dragged through the darkness on the rough ground, they came to a large, empty room. They pulled back and tossed her into one corner. They quickly left and locked the door tight behind them. Sakura stood up and knocked the dirt off her skirt. "Where am I?" She was in a pretty bright room. One wall, right next to the door, had a giant glass panel that showed the two guards staring back. In the corner was a TV. Apparently, a demon had brought one back from their world. Suddenly, the TV turned on. Sakura held the Clow Cards close to her. Sadin's face appeared on the TV.  
  
"Hello, my pet… Welcome to your torture!" Sakura looked confused. "What's going on?" Sadin smiled. "Oh, you may notice that I have left the Clow Cards with you. Fear not, I'm not going to force them from you. I could have easily killed you and taken the cards from you, but where's the fun in that? So instead, I've decided to have a little… fun… with you." Sakura frowned as she watched the guards on the other side of the glass smirking back. "What do you mean by that?" She asked nervously. "Well, you see, we aren't going to let you out of that room until you surrender the cards to us. Eventually, you'll starve to death. However, if you decide you value your life and hand over your cards, you won't end up like your friends…" Sakura gasped as tears started to form in her eyes. "What… what do you mean by 'end up like your friends?'"  
  
Sadin laughed. Well, maybe I should show you over and over again until you surrender! Have a look, and enjoy the rest of your retched life…"  
  
Sadin's face disappeared, and a far more awful thing appeared: video. It wasn't just any video. It showed Tomoyo and Mia running down a hall… only to fall to gunfire from guards. Touya walked out a door, only to fall into what looked like an endless pit. Kero, Yue, and Eriol's group stuck in a room as the walls moved in closer and locked them out. Sakura had a look of utter horror on her face. She said nothing. She just watched in terror. Lastly, and worst of all, she watched as a horde of demons leaped from the shadows of a hallway littered with the bodies of fallen warriors, mages, archers, and villagers, and stabbed Syaoran with their swords.  
  
Sakura couldn't believe it. All of her friends and family were gone… Sadin's forces and traps had wiped them all out. They were all dead. She put her head down on the ground and cried and cried as the tapes played over and over.  
  
But a new feeling arose in her. Not sorrow or anger, but a new feeling arose. Determination. "I must do it… I must beat Sadin! He's caused so much grief and pain! I must stop him! I will stop him, even if I have to do it alone." Sakura pounded her fists on the ground and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Syaoran… this is for you… I know I promised not to use this in anger, so I'll only use it to help…" Sakura grabbed her staff and a card. "RELEASE!" The staff grew in the air and Sakura grabbed it. She tossed a Card in the air. "POWER CARD!"  
  
The demons stood in shock, watching her. "What should we do? Should we try to stop her?" One asked the other. "Nah. This could be pretty entertaining! These walls are 3 feet thick brick and this glass is a foot of tempered glass! A ton of dynamite couldn't blow it away! Let's just watch her struggle!"  
  
Sakura walked over to the guards behind the glass who laughed watching her. She raised one fist, with the Power Card's strength coursing through her veins, and punched the glass. The entire wall went tumbling down, landing on the two guards. Sakura stepped over them and ran for the nearest door. "I'm out… Now I only need to find Sadin and end this! I… I'm not going to let him get away with what he's done…" She threw open a door. She recognized the room. It was the hallway where they first met Sadin. "Now where could he- OH MY GOD!" She looked down the stairs, and saw all of her friends at the bottom. "Sakura?" Syaoran asked. "Syaoran! You're alive!" She literally leaped from the top of the stairs all the way down as Syaoran raced to her. They both landed in each other's arms and hugged as tight as they could. "Oh Syaoran… I was so scarred… Sadin said you were all dead… I… I couldn't let him get away with that… I had to defeat him… but you're alive…" They stared into each other's eyes. Syaoran could see both happiness and sadness in her beautiful emerald eyes. Sakura buried her head in his chest and cried. "I can't take this anymore! All the death, blood, hatred… I can't stand it! I need it to just end… I don't want to see my friends hurt." Syaoran rubbed her back to calm her down as he hugged her tight. "Don't worry, Sakura. It will be all over with soon. Don't you worry. Everything will be back to the way it should be soon." They stood in silence for a moment before they broke the hug and walked down.  
  
Sakura looked around for a second. "Hey, where's Tomoyo? And Touya?" Yue stepped forward. "Your brother was still pretty badly injured, so Tomoyo volunteered to escort him out and take care of him. She won't be joining us, and obviously Touya won't, either." Sakura stared at the ground disappointed. Mia stepped up. "But maybe, that's a good thing. Only the people in the room with Sadin when he is defeated will remember what happened here. Tomoyo will forget everything. Forget seeing her parents die, seeing you two die, and all that heartache. She can go back to normal." Sakura smiled. "You mean, she can be normal again?" Mia smiled. "Yeah. By normal, I mean relatively speaking, since she IS Tomoyo after all! But yes, she will be fine. And Touya won't know a thing about your power once again." Sakura smiled. "Then it's for the best!"  
  
Eriol stepped up. "Now that we have that out of the way, why don't we find Sadin and bring an end to this madness once and for all?" Everyone nodded. Sakura quickly stopped, though. "Wait, Syaoran, how did you all get here? What happened to all of you?" Syaoran sighed. "It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that. Well, I escaped from my cell, but I ran into Sadin's 'version' of you. It naturally wanted me dead, but I… just knew it wasn't you. It couldn't be. It was just a feeling. When I defeated the imposter, I left the room and found all of these guys locked up in a single cell. After knocking the guards out, we left. Next thing we know, we're back here, and you show up a few minutes later while we're planning to go look for you!"  
  
They stepped up to the front of the room where they saw Sadin enter and slowly opened the door. The room was completely dark. They all walked in, but no one could see a thing. They all remained dead silent. Suddenly, they could see a figure. It was Sadin, hunched over a book in a huge room. The lights brightened quickly. Sadin slammed his book closed. He stood up and turned around. The door slammed shut and actually disappeared.  
  
"Welcome, my honorable guests! Welcome to Hell!"  
  
To be continued… 


	38. The Final Battle (Part I)

I'm so sorry for the lack of updates! I'm so sorry! ::cries:: I'm such a baka! ::slaps himself:: But I do have another chapter…  
  
Chapter 38  
  
Syaoran drew his sword quickly. "Your time is up, Sadin. Time to end this nightmare." Sadin laughed, with his long gray hair blowing like there was a wind blowing. The room began to darken until everything was black. When the room lightened up again, they found themselves standing in a giant red cave with no entrances or exits. The blood-red walls eerily glowed. But worst of all, it was the same cave from all of Sakura's dreams.  
  
"No, this can't be the place…" Sakura mumbled.  
  
"You are fools!" Sadin laughed. "You all should have stayed back in your own world, but it's too late for that! Now I'll kill you all, take the cards, and rule the universe! And it could have all been avoided if you just stayed home. But all the better for me! I can now rule the world as I like! Peace and justice will reign supreme with no more war and…"  
  
"SHUT UP YOU BASTARD!" Syaoran screamed as his whole body shook. "Lies… all lies… You've caused only pain and death. And your ruling the world will only make the world worse… But I won't allow it!" Syaoran pointed his sword at Sadin as his arm shook. "You stole the lives of my friends… my entire family… Sakura's family… everyone I ever cared about is gone. And I won't rest until they come back!"  
  
Sadin's face grew angrier with every word. "Silence, infidel! I couldn't expect a couple of kids to understand the beauty of my plan. But I can't let you live to try and spoil my perfect utopia. Have at you!" Sadin tossed his cape into the air and prepared for battle.  
  
Yue and Kero charged first. Yue raised his hand and fired a wave of spiked energy blasts, but Sadin just raised one hand and all of Yue's attacks stopped dead in place. "Is that all you have to offer? I figured my battle before the new begging would be more… dramatic…" Suddenly, all of Yue's attacks came flying back, sending Yue and Kero flying into a wall.  
  
Before Sadin could turn around, he was tackled to the ground by Spinnel, who raised a paw in the air and prepared to slash. Sadin raised one hand and easily held him back. "You're all so weak." He easily stood up and kicked Spinnel into the ground. Ruby Moon attacked next, slicing at him with a sword of energy. Sadin simply raised one hand and a blast fire scorched Ruby to the ground.  
  
Sadin turned to Sakura, Syaoran, Eriol, and Mia who were the only ones left standing. "Well, I can only hope you four will be tougher than these lackeys." Mia didn't waste any time. She raised her staff and a bolt of lightning struck Sadin. He didn't even flinch. Sadin didn't say a word and just blasted Mia away with one hand.  
  
Eriol raised his arm and blasted Sadin with a bolt of lightning at Sadin with all of his might. Sadin raised his hand to block it but it was too late Eriol's blast blew right by and started to shock Sadin for a few moments. Sadin screamed in pain till he fell to the ground. Everyone was silent for a moment. They slowly walked forward. Was Sadin down? Suddenly, Sadin sprang back to his feat, charged, and punched Sakura, Syaoran, and Eriol into the ground. "ARGH! DAMMIT! That actually hurt!" Sadin raised his hands to fire again, when Syaoran grabbed an element charm. "LIGHTNING!" Lightning from his sword surged through the air. Sadin screamed as the electricity attacked him. Sakura and Eriol got the idea. Eriol shot lightning from his hands again. Sakura summoned the Thunder card and they all attacked Sadin at once.  
  
The light of their attack intensified throughout the cavern. They put their hearts into their attacks. The attack seemed to last forever, but they didn't let up until they needed to rest for a moment. Suddenly, Sakura feel backwards and lay on her back to rest. Syaoran fell next, but Eriol lasted for a few more seconds until stopping and falling back, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Sadin stood in shock for a second before falling face first to the dirt, with not even a gray hair on his head moving.  
  
Syaoran panted. "Did… did we do it?" Eriol took a deep breath. "I think so… I can't sense his power anymore. He must be gone for good…" Sakura smiled and put her head down in Syaoran's lap. "It's over… it's finally over…"  
  
"Think again." They quickly watched as Sadin rose as fast as lightning, charged, and kicked them all away. Sadin held his hand out a materialized a twisted black sword.  
  
"This is far from over, you little brats! I did under estimate you. You are all powerful indeed. Maybe this will prove interesting after all!" He gave a sadistic chuckle as he began to power up his sword. "But still, there is no way I will lose!"  
  
Sadin began to chant as everyone from Sakura to Ruby Moon stood up. Sadin began to glow as he chanted, becoming brighter with each word. Finally, once everyone stood up, Sadin held the sword horizontally and spun in a circle, sending a shockwave of magic hurtling at everyone, knocking everyone down again. "See? Why don't you just surrender now and save me the trouble of killing you and save yourselves a long, slow, and miserable death?" "NEVER!" Sakura said as she stood up slowly. "We'll never surrender!" Sadin frowned. "Fine. Have it your way."  
  
Sadin swung his sword again and a ball of fire came towards Sakura. "SHIELD" A barrier surrounded Sakura and deflected the attack. While she did that, Kero and Spinnel pounced from behind and sent Sadin to the ground. Sadin kicked them both off, but when he reached his feet, Yue and Ruby greeted him with a flurry of kicks. Sadin repelled them with a magic barrier of his own, but Syaoran jumped up and shattered the barrier with his sword and kicked Sadin from behind. Sadin fell to the ground, but gave a sweeping kick, knocking Syaoran to his back. By then Eriol charged up another shot a blasted Sadin back to the ground.  
  
Sadin stood up and dug his sword into the ground to rest on it. "Dammit, you all are strong… this really will be an epic battle. I didn't want to use this, but now I have no choice!" Sadin crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and concentrated. His whole body began to glow an eerie fluorescent color. Sadin muscles literally began to bulge and tear his clothes.  
  
Sadin held his arms apart, then quickly brought them together and a huge ball of pure energy crashed into all of them, scattering everyone across the room. Sakura stood up and threw a card into the air. "EARTH CARD!" The ground next to Sadin rose and fell onto him like a wall, trapping Sadin under at least 5 feet of solid rock.  
  
A fist rose from the ground as Sadin pulled his way up. He looked furious. "Grrr… You'll pay for that, little girl." Sadin put his hands over his head, then dropped them in front of his face and fired a fireball directly at Sakura. Before it could hit her, Syaoran jumped in the way and knocked them both to the ground. The fire pierced right through the stonewall behind them, charring everything. "Wow. This guy is serious!" Syaoran exclaimed. "Look out! He's not done yet!" They stood up watched Sadin pull his arms behind him to power up another attack. Eriol put his hands over his mouth and screamed, "LOOK OUT SAKURA! HIS MAGIC LEVEL IS RISING!" But it was too late. Sadin brought his hands forward, and a blinding flash filled the room. No one could hear or see a thing.  
  
Eriol was worried. Over the immense power of Sadin's attack, he could no longer sense Sakura or Syaoran's power. Had Sadin got to them? When the light died down, Eriol was shocked to see what had happened. Sakura stood over Sadin with his face on the ground. "What did you do, Sakura?" Eriol asked. "Simple!" She held a card out. "The Loop Card! I just casted it in front of myself and Sadin's attack looped around hit himself!" Eriol looked stunned. "Defeated by his own attack… That was brilliant!" He said. But inside, Eriol though, "Hmmm… she is quite strong. Maybe I will need to go a bit harder on her when our tests begin…"  
  
Syaoran hugged Sakura tight until she almost couldn't breathe. "Sakura, you did it! You defeated Sadin!" Everyone stood up and walked to congratulate her.  
  
"Not quite!" A voice rung out. They all watched in horror as Sadin slowly got to his feat. Syaoran jumped back and readied his sword. "Dammit, what does it take to keep this bastard down?"  
  
"Oh, it is far from over. It will take much more than that to keep me down!" Sadin held his sword out an swung it at everyone in a blink of an eye. They jumped back and prepared to battle. Sakura turned towards Syaoran. "Syaoran, this isn't going to work! We have to work together!" Syaoran shook his head. "No, we tried that before, and he just swatted us away. There just enough of us!" Sakura got an idea. "Maybe, but I know how there can be enough!" Sakura grabbed a card. "MIRROR CARD! FORM A REFLECTION OF ALL OF US!" Everyone in the cave began to glow, until an exact image of him or her appeared next to him or her. Sakura and her duplicate summoned the Sword Card. "Now, everyone split up!" Sakura yelled. Everyone and their mirror image went in opposite direction. Sadin looked worried. "What kind of trick is this?! I can't tell who is real and who is not!"  
  
They all circled around Sadin as fast as they could. Sadin tried to attack, but he could never decide whom to aim at. They all looked, acted, and felt them same. Every time he picked a target, someone snuck up from behind and attacked. "Dammit… I can't track them! And I don't have enough time to charge up another attack!" He mumbled. Suddenly, Yue snuck up as Sadin was distracted with his mirror image and kicked him from behind. This sent him staggering forward into Eriol, who held a hand to Sadin's face and blasted him across the room. Syaoran kicked him over, and Sakura and Syaoran pointed their swords at Sadin's face.  
  
Syaoran raised his sword to deliver the final blow. "WAIT!" Sadin screamed. "Let me say one last thing." Syaoran lowered his sword. "Out with it already!" Sadin calmed down. "Do you remember when you faced a demon in the woods who became a wolf?" Sakura looked frightened. "How could we forget?!" She exclaimed. "Well… heh heh… he wasn't the only one who could do that! BLACK DRAGON!" The entire cave began to shake.  
  
Everyone fell to their faces and rolled away. They saw Sadin lifted into the air. He let out a blood-curdling scream as loud as he could. His body began to twist and bulge. His clothes all ripped off as he grew larger and larger. His face stretched, his skin became green, and he generally changed completely. Within a few seconds, everyone stood up. All of the mirror images vanished. They stood before Sakura's dream… a giant dragon…  
  
To be continued… 


	39. The Final Battle (Part II)

Hi, everyone. Wallcrawler here… and I got a new chapter! But… this is the second to last chapter. I'm already starting chapter 40, the epilogue, and then I will immediately start the sequel. But… I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I put everything I have into it. And the ending… ::hands out boxes of tissues:: Just be warned… it might make you cry…  
  
Chapter 39  
  
Sakura's mouth practically dropped to the floor as she watched the immense dragon roaring and slashing around. Her dreams were coming true. "Dear God no…" she mumbled. "This can't be happening! All my dreams are coming true… but that means…"  
  
Syaoran held his sword out. "Dammit! I should have killed him when I had the chance… but it is too late for that now! We must-" There was a tugging on Syaoran's leg. Syaoran looked down. "Sakura, what are you doing? Let go of my leg! We've got to stop Sadin!" Sakura began to cry. "Syaoran, don't fight! My dreams are coming true… and I don't want to see you get hurt!" Syaoran sighed. "Look, Sakura, I know that, but I don't want to see you get hurt either."  
  
Syaoran turned his head to the side and saw the dragon prepare to attack. He grabbed Sakura and sucked just as a wall of fire passes overhead. "See what I mean?" Sakura cried more. "I don't care! I don't want to see you get hurt! PLEASE!" Syaoran didn't listen though and escaped Sakura's gasp and charged along with everyone else. Sakura was left lying on the cave floor, watching her friends charged in.  
  
Sakura couldn't just watch them, so she sprang to her feet and charged. Yue and Ruby Moon flew quickly around the dragon's head. The dragon swiped through the air, trying to swat them to the ground. But neither the dragon nor the two guardians could get one attack in. "I have a plan." Said Yue. Both of them went to other sides of the dragon and began to gather their energy into one blast. Sadin could see they were trying to trap him. No matter who he went after, the other would just blast him, and their power was growing.  
  
Sadin opened his mouth and a burning ball of fire crashed into Ruby. Yu looked worried and stopped concentrating his magic. Deep within his dragon body, Sadin thought, "Just as I expected. These poor fools care for each other. I can use that to my advantage…" As Yue looked to Ruby crashing to the ground, Sadin ran up and raised a claw. In one fluid swipe, it sent Yue hurdling to the ground.  
  
The dragon let out a roar of pain and looked down to see Kero and Spinnel biting, scratching, and ripping at its stomach. Sadin raised one foot and slammed it into the ground, causing the entire cave to rumble until Kero and Spinnel fell. Rocks from the ceiling fell everywhere, but the majority fell onto and covered the two guardian beasts until there was no movement from under the rocks.  
  
Mia and Eriol fired a blast of lightning at once, distracting Sadin as Syaoran climbed on top of Sadin's back by his tail. "JUMP" Sakura summoned the Jump Card and leaped onto Sadin as well as the dragon charged for Mia and Eriol. "ARROW!" A young spirit girl flew into the air holding a bow and arrow. She fired one arrow, which quickly split into about 40 different arrows. At the same time, Syaoran raised his sword and plunged it deep into Sadin's back as the arrows struck. The dragon screamed and shook his back, throwing Sakura and Syaoran in opposite directions, both slamming into walls. Eriol charged up another shot and fired it at Sadin, but he opened his large dragon mouth and fired a fireball back, canceling out Eriol's attack and slamming both him and Mia to the ground as well.  
  
Sadin roared in triumph as he saw all of his foes lying on the ground defeated. He decided to finish them off, one by one. First, he turned to Syaoran who was lying in pain, slumped against a wall. He picked him up by the shirt with two talons. Syaoran was held right in front of the dragon's mouth as it opened up and was preparing to blast him into oblivion.  
  
"STOP!" Sakura stood up, holding her shoulder that felt like it was broken after being slammed to the wall. "Put Syaoran down, and pick on someone your own size!" Sakura grabbed a card at tossed it in the air while Sadin dropped Syaoran to the ground harshly and charged towards Sakura. "BIG CARD!" Sakura began to grow at a tremendous speed until she was as taller than the dragon. "Okay, Sadin, how do you like being smaller one?" Sakura kicked and punched with all her might. Sadin was practically defenseless.  
  
Everyone slowly got to their feet, watching in amazement as the giant Sakura pounded away at the dragon, who couldn't even fight back. Kero and Spinnel crawled out from the rubble as well. They watched every blow. Sakura seemed to be invincible. She even used her staff like a cane and hit the dragon over the head with it. Finally, one kick sent the dragon into a wall. But the dragon fired a fireball straight at her. "FREEZE!" The entire blast became encased in a giant ice ball which Sakura picked up easily and smashed Sadin deeper into the wall with a huge crash. Sadin dropped his head, appearing to be dead.  
  
Sakura kneeled down to her relatively miniature sized friends and smiled and they all cheered for her. "Good going, Sakura!" Syaoran yelled. Sakura laughed and blushed. "Hoe… I guess I did do it, didn't I? But I couldn't have done it without all of—" "LOOK OUT SAKURA!" Syaoran interrupted. Sakura turned to see Sadin bursting out of the wall in fury. He quickly opened his mouth and fired a giant blinding ball of energy at Sakura. The entire room lit up and everything was silent. Sakura had no time to react and was hit directly with the blast. Syaoran tried to scream out to Sakura, but he was muffled under the explosion.  
  
For a moment, there was pure silence. Everyone had been blinded momentarily and was adjusting their eyes, even Sadin. When Syaoran could see again, his jaw dropped. Sakura was lying motionless on the ground back to her normal size. Syaoran ran as fast as he could towards her. Everyone else was in tow. Syaoran lifted her head up and wiped off a small trickle of blood from her face. "Sakura?! Are you alright?! Sakura! Speak to me, Sakura!" Syaoran said frantically. Sakura slowly lifted her head. "I'm okay… ARGH!" Sakura clenched her muscles and rubbed her arm. "My arm… it feels like it's on fire!" Syaoran tore of her right sleeve to have a look. Her arm was cut pretty badly. It must had taken the main force of the attack.  
  
Syaoran took the sleeve he ripped off her shirt and wrapped it around her arm. "There, you should be fine. Just sit here and stay away from Sadin. We've got to end this." Syaoran said. "Wait!" Sakura screamed. "Don't go! You'll be hurt! I can't lose you!" Syaoran bent down beside her and held her hand. "Sakura, I'll be fine." "But Syaoran—" Syaoran put his lips to hers for a brief moment. "I'll be fine. I promise." They both blushed. "Now, everyone, let's go!" Syaoran commanded.  
  
They all charged at once. Yue grabbed Syaoran and dropped him onto Sadin's back while Ruby and Spinnel flew around his head as a distraction. Syaoran ran towards Sadin's neck and grabbed his head. Syaoran lifted his sword high and was about to dig it right into Sadin's skull when Sadin shook his head violently, throwing Syaoran off. The dragon raised a foot to step on Syaoran when Yue grabbed Syaoran and dragged his out of the way as Mia blasted Sadin with an ice spell. That was too much for Sadin to bear. He concentrated all of his magic through his dragon body and prepared to attack with everything he had.  
  
As he concentrated, Sadin felt his power, speed, and magic rising. In a blinding flash, the dragon swiped and knocked Yue and Ruby out of the air, Burnt Kero and Spinnel with a fiery blast, and slammed Eriol and Mia into the walls and ground.  
  
Once again, Sadin was the only one left standing. He decided it was time to end the pointless battle and begin his new world order. He stumbled towards Sakura who sat against a wall. "HOE!" Sakura screamed in fright. The dragon squinted its deep red eyes. It brought it's head up for a second and just stared at Sakura. She tried to move, but the pain was unbearable. She was trapped in a corner. The dragon lunged its head down to swallow Sakura in one bite…  
  
But the dragon's head was brutally flung to one side and collapsed on the ground. Syaoran stood above it, holding his sword in his hands. He had saved her. "…Wait… this seems familiar… Oh my God, this is just like the first dream I had! That means… SYAORAN! GET OUT OF THE WAY, NOW!" But it was too late for Sakura's warning. The Demon Master lifted its head and was back on its feet. Syaoran readied his blade, but the dragon reached out and grabbed Syaoran in its paw.  
  
Sakura watched in horror as the dragon squeezed Syaoran as hard as it could. Syaoran's screams and the cracking of bone could be heard echoing throughout the cave. Syaoran turned red, having trouble breathing with all of the pressure. Also, the dragon forced his magic power through its hand and all of the dark magic could be seen flowing through and attacking Syaoran as well. Syaoran glowed as the evil energy tore him apart inside.  
  
"NO! DAMMIT, I WON'T ALLOW IT!" Sakura stood up and fought the pain. "SWORD!" Sakura charged up to Sadin, too busy and distracted torturing Syaoran to notice Sakura approaching. The lesson Syaoran gave her in using the sword came back to her. "HIYAH!" Sakura screamed as she leaped into the air and smashed Sadin's wrist with her sword with all her might like Syaoran had taught her. Sadin screamed in pain and dropped Syaoran motionless to the ground. The sword had dug deep into Sadin's paw, and Sadin thrashed about.  
  
Sakura leapt backwards when something fell out of the backpack she had the cards in .  
  
"…The stones. The stones that boost your magic! I know what to do!" Sakura reached into her backpack and pulled out all of the magic-enhancing stones and placed them around her at a safe distance from Sadin. She grabbed two cards from her backpack and threw them high into the air. The symbol of the Clow appeared beneath her feat, of both the sun and the moon. "The key that hides the power of the Dark… Show your true form before me! I, Sakura, command you under our contract! LIGHT CARD! DARK CARD! BECOME A BINDING CHAIN AND ATTACK MY ENEMY!"  
  
A blinding light surrounded Sakura as she radiated with power. The stones Sakura laid around herself began to float and radiate like Sakura. They began to spin around the Light and Dark Cards as Sakura poured her heart and soul into one attack. The wind picked up and Sakura's hair flowed with the wind. Sakura's emerald eyes glowed with determination. Everything depended on her. The stones swirled faster and faster around the Cards and moved in closer and closer until they were absorbed into the cards themselves. Suddenly, all of Sakura's cards began to float out of her backpack and release at once.  
  
Fiery, Arrow, Windy, Sand, Shadow, Earth, Snow, Storm, Freeze, Power, Wood, Fly, Water, Freeze, Thunder…  
  
All of Sakura's cards began to release around her and smother Sadin in attacks. Sadin was overwhelmed at once as Sakura focused all of her magic and determination into this one attack. Finally, all the cards spread out of the way and Sadin collapsed onto the ground. Two majestic figures appeared from the cards, one black, and one white.  
  
The black, Dark Card lifted Sadin's head and wrapped itself all around the dragon to keep Sadin perfectly still. The Light Card rose into the air and began to emit the brightest light anyone had ever seen. The Light Card attacked in the blink of an eye, diving right into the chest of the Lord of all Demons. Golden sparks rose into the air and rings of magic swirled around the Light Card as it slowly dived right through Sadin. In an instant, the Light Card literally flew right through Sadin. Sadin's once deep crimson eyes were now dull and black. Sadin let out a horrifying last roar before he collapsed onto the ground and closed his eyes. All of the cards returned to Sakura.  
  
Sakura stood panting and clutching her arm in pain. But a bright smile lit up her face.  
  
"It's over… It's over… Sadin is gone for good…" Sakura whispered. She didn't hesitate to run up to Syaoran. His face was cut, and a trickle of blood rolled down his cheeks. It was obvious he was in a lot of pain. But yet… a smile was on his face. Sakura kneeled down over him. Syaoran lifted his hand and ran his fingers through Sakura's hair. "Sakura… you did it… that… was amazing…" A tear ran down Sakura's face and Syaoran wiped it away. "It's no wonder you were chosen as the master of the Clow Cards instead of me…" Sakura put her hand on Syaoran's cheek. "No, I couldn't have done it without all of you… especially you, Syaoran… I—" "Don't say anything Sakura… I need to apologize…" Sakura looked confused. "Apologize? For what?" Syaoran didn't say anything. He just reached under his shirt and showed Sakura his hand covered in blood. "…Apologize for breaking my promise… about not getting hurt…" Sakura gasped and began to cry. "No… Sakura, don't cry… You did it… you saved countless lives…" Sakura burst into tears. "NO! Syaoran… without you… it's all meaningless to me…" Syaoran wiped away her tears. "As you are to me… but… Sakura…" He pulled her face closer. "I… I… Sakura… I…" Syaoran's hands dropped from Sakura's face and Syaoran slowly hung his head back.  
  
Sakura shook Syaoran a little. "Syaoran?" A tear rolled down her cheek again. "Syaoran?" Sakura began to burst into tears. "SYAORAN!"  
  
To be continued…  
  
…Syaoran-kun… gone… 


	40. Returning Home

This is the last chapter… I know it is extremely short… but that's because there was not much left to tell… no action… just emotion… but stick around because I'll have the epilogue tomorrow and then the sequel soon! I'll have the name of the sequel there, too.  
  
But for now, the last chapter. And Syaoran… is dead.  
  
Chapter 40  
  
Sakura buried her head in Syaoran's chest and cried like she never cried before. All of her dreams came back to her… they all tried to warn her… but she felt she did not do enough. All of those horrid dreams were returning to her. Her whole body ached and burned as she cried until it hurt and she was out of breath, just like in her dreams. She looked around her and saw blood on the ground… just like her dreams. She pounded her fists into the rock hard ground.  
  
"IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" She screamed repeatedly. "I… I should have stopped him! I should have made him stay behind! My dreams… They warned me… but I didn't listen well enough… I let Syaoran slip away… It's all my fault… because of me… Syaoran will never live to see another day… I'll never see those brown eyes again…" Sakura again broke into a fit of sobs and buried her head in Syaoran's chest.  
  
A few minutes later, as Sakura still cried until she ran out of breath, her friends began to awaken. Eriol was the first to get to his feet. He surveyed the damage and his jaw practically dropped when he saw Sadin's body lying dead on the floor. "Perhaps I've underestimated this girl…. Maybe I'll have to up the difficulty of my tests when we return…" He thought to himself. He stepped over to Sakura and put his hand on her shoulder. He was still looking at Sadin when he heard her crying. Before he could say anything and saw Syaoran, lying dead on the floor. Eriol wasn't sure what to say. He never really liked the boy a lot, but this? He stood there in silence, not moving a muscle or saying a word.  
  
Yue, Kero, Ruby, and Spinnel awoke next. They all approached together. They were joyous that Sadin was gone. The world would soon be restored. But as soon as they saw Sakura and Syaoran… they said nothing. They all stood in silence. Not so much as batting an eye. But for a moment… Eriol could almost swear he saw Yue shed a tear…  
  
Mia soon awakened as well. She slowly made her way to her feet and saw Syaoran. She was devastated. She forgot all about her pain, but emotional pain broke throughout her. "It's all my fault…" she whispered. "I should have never brought them here…" She fell on her knees and began to cry, too.  
  
No one said a word, until Eriol finally had to speak up. "Mia… I need to know. It was said when Sadin died, the world would return to normal. But what's going on? Nothing has happened?" Mia looked up. Her eyes were still watery, but she managed to say, "It will take a little time. Sadin's body will begin to emit a kind of magic that will slowly eat away this dimension. That will return us all back to our own time. But… it takes a little while… Actually, I'm starting to feel it now…"  
  
Sakura's eyes widened. "Oh my God! Mia, if everything goes back to normal, does that mean Syaoran… he'll come back?!" Sakura began to smile. Mia frowned though. "Sakura… I… I… I don't want to be the one to say this… But… you see… I've experimented with this kind of magic before when we captured demons… Apparently, the magic power grows stronger the farther away it travels. Or in other words, the magic grows stronger over a distance. So because we're in the same room, we'll barely be affected. That's why we will remember all of this. So… the magic won't be enough… When you return, you'll be where you were before Sadin interfered… and Syaoran will still be gone…" Sakura's eyes filled with tears. She fell onto her knees and cried.  
  
Then it dawned on Mia. "WAIT! I just remembered! I've been working on a new spell… It is a special reviving spell that absorbs energy from one person to another and can bring someone back using another's powers!" Sakura's eyes lit up. "Really?! Will it work?!" Mia frowned. "I'm not 100% sure, but it could. I've never perfected it…"  
  
At that moment, Sadin's body began to fade into total blackness and the room began to shake. "It's begun." Eriol mumbled. Mia frowned worse. "Oh dear, this isn't good. Our powers have magnified in the future… so when we return to the past, there is no way I'll be strong enough to cast it!" Sakura stood up hastily. "Quick! We must try! I'll do anything to bring Syaoran back to me… Please… Mia… I beg of you…" Mia nodded. "I'll try… but it isn't that easy. I have to cast it, but I can't donate power. Someone else needs to. Some close to him… Someone who loves him…" Sakura blushed a little. "I'll do it…" Yue stepped forward. "Sakura, master, no, you can't! Your power is too little. You'd use too much power! Who knows what might happen to you…" Eriol added in, "In the worst case, you use up all of your energy, you'll die too. And it's no guarantee the spell will work." Sakura kneeled besides Syaoran's cold body and held his hands. "I don't care. I have to do this…"  
  
Mia sighed. "If that is what you wish… but, the thing is, I discovered the best place to transfer magic… life… is through the mouth." Sakura blushed even worse. "You mean I have to…" Eriol frowned. "There's no time for questions. If you are going to do this, do it." Eriol was right. The entire room was starting to dissolve and shake into total blackness. "Right." Sakura nodded.  
  
She lifted up Syaoran's head and pushed back his hair. Even in death, he was handsome…. But paler… Sakura moved in closer… And she gently put her lips to his… His lips were surprisingly warm… just as warm as in life…  
  
Mia lifted her fingers into a gun like shape and held her index finger against her forehead and began to chant. Sakura and Syaoran began to glow with a light pink aura. But the room started to become like a vacuum. Yue, Kero, Spinnel, Ruby, and Eriol were standing the closest to Sadin and were sucked into the void and disappeared…  
  
Sakura felt weaker. Her energy was leaving her. But before the spell could finish, Sakura felt a tug, and they were all pulled apart as the entire room was engulfed in blackness.  
  
Sakura floated helplessly in the darkness. She could no longer feel Syaoran around her. But she could feel her body almost shrinking. That's all she felt. She could see and hear only blackness. But in the distance, a light grew. It blinded her as it intensified. The end of the dimension. Sakura floated to the very end and was sucked in. Sakura's eyes adjusted to the light.  
  
Sakura could make out a figure as her eyes cleared up. It was Tomoyo… back to her old ten-year-old self. They were sitting on a picnic blanket back in the park, but what about…  
  
Across from her, Syaoran sat with tears in his eyes, looking at Sakura in astonishment. "I… I'm alive… but how?" Sakura began to cry but smile at the same time. "It's all over… that's all that matters… Welcome back, Syaoran…"  
  
They stood up and Sakura leaped and wrapped her arms around Syaoran, and they both fell backwards, landing in a shallow part of the crystal clear pond. They hugged each other as tight as they could, blushing like mad, ignoring the fact they sat in the pond.  
  
Tomoyo grabbed her camcorder and video taped them. "Hee hee! I don't know what's going on, but I'm not going to miss recording this for the world!"  
  
Cherry blossoms began to fall from the Sakura trees and floated gently on the water around them as they hugged each other in silence, knowing what the other wanted to say…  
  
The End  
  
See you, space cowboys… 


	41. Epilogue

Okay, all of you. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I thank you all for everyone who read my fic. Arigotou from the bottom of my heart. This is basically just a summary of what happened afterwards. My sequel will be up soon. I've decided on the title "Sadin's Revival." Look for it within the next few days. But not to get nay spoilers… (Note: If you don't even want the slightest hint of a spoiler, skip right down to the title, "Epilogue" now.) If you hated me that much for ALMOST killing Syaoran, then I might need to lock myself in my house when you read the first chapter…  
  
Epilogue  
  
Sakura's eyes watered as she stood in front of her house. It was all intact. She stepped through the door and into the kitchen. Sakura's eyes began to water as she saw Fujitaka standing in an apron over the stove. "…Dad…" Sakura ran up and jumped onto her dad, hugging as hard as she could. "I missed you so much!" Fujitaka looked confused. "Well, it's nice to see you too, Sakura, but you've only been gone since this morning! And why are you soaking wet?" Sakura hugged tighter. "I know, but it seems like I've been gone forever!"  
  
Touya walked into the kitchen. "What are you doing, monster?" "BIG BROTHER!" Sakura leaped off her dad and hugged Touya hard as well. "I missed you too!" She gave Touya a quick kiss on the cheek and darted up to her room. Touya remained in the same space, with the most dazed and confused look on his face like he never had before. "…What just happened?"  
  
Sakura locked her door and yanked open her dresser door. "KERO!" Kero was back to his old stuffed-animal-like form. "Sakura! You're back! What happened! I wanted to go see for myself but with your dad and Touya…" Sakura smiled. "It's okay Kero, Syaoran is alright. Mia's spell worked!" Kero smiled too. "That's good. I still don't like the gaki, though, but even I didn't want to see that happen to him…" Sakura sighed. "Well, that's the closest you've come to complimenting him, so I guess I'll let that one slide…" Kero wondered for a second. "What about Tomoyo?" Sakura smiled. "She doesn't remember a thing. She's back to her old self!" Kero sighed. "I'm not sure if her being her old self is a good or bad thing…" Sakura was just finishing getting changed into dry clothes when she heard Kero scream. "What's wrong Kero?" Tears rolled down Kero's face. "All my video game saved data from after this date was erased!" Sakura fell on her head in embarrassment.  
  
Syaoran put down his phone and got under the covers of his bed. "Good, my family is safe… but still… I don't know what it is… it just feels like something is still wrong…" Syaoran closed his eyes. "Sakura… I'll never be able to repay you…" Syaoran held out a picture of Sakura he kept on his dresser and hugged it. "Sakura…" and Syaoran fell asleep hugging the picture of Sakura.  
  
"SAKURA! IT'S THE PHONE!" Fujitaka's voice cried throughout the house. "Coming!" Sakura replied as she headed down the stairs. As Sakura got closer, Fujitaka said, "It must be a new friend of yours. She said her name was Mia." Sakura's eyes widened. "Mia?" Fujitaka handed her the phone. "Hello?" Sakura said. "Hello Sakura… I wanted… to know… what happened… because after… well, you know…" Sakura smiled. "Don't worry. Syaoran's fine." Mia sounded relieved. "I'm so glad! I guess that means we're done…" Sakura thought. "Well, can't you come visit sometime?" Mia sighed. "Actually… to tell the truth, I live in Kyoto. It's too far from here… but… I'll be sure to visit some day… and Sakura… thank you…" Sakura started to hang up. "Oh, but one more thing… I'll be sure to keep your secret safe…" Sakura hung up and sighed.  
  
Eriol sat in his den in front of a fire. "So master, I guess that just abut wraps it all up." Eriol nodded to Spinnel. "I guess that means our tests can finally begin, master." Eriol nodded again. Nakuru leaned on Eriol's chair from behind him. "At last, it's all over."  
  
Eriol leaned forward towards the fire. "Now that, I'm not so sure of…"  
  
To be continued in "Sadin's Revival…" 


End file.
